


Once Upon a Time In Miami and Vegas: The Gold Chronicles: Book II

by cjmoliere, GoldsJRZGirl



Series: The Gold Chronicles [2]
Category: Murder in the First (TV), Once Upon a Time (TV), Tin Man (2007)
Genre: Drama, Family, Gambling, Gen, Organized Crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-03-08 13:03:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 69,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18895171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmoliere/pseuds/cjmoliere, https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldsJRZGirl/pseuds/GoldsJRZGirl
Summary: Once Upon a Tiime In Miami and Vegas takes us back to 2013 and while Regina and Henry are trying their luck at the real slots in the Las Vegas Casinos with Snow, Emma, DG, Wyatt and Charming tagging along, Rumple, Belle, Bae, Tink, Archie, David Molk, Beth and Az head off to Miami Beach. Chaos ensues when they are arrested by the Miami Beach Vice Squad during a raid on the club they are visiting and learn the resort they're staying in is a cover for another type of business.





	1. The Queen of the Reels

Belle rolled over in bed and noticed that the space her husband was supposed to be occupying was vacant. Concerned that something was wrong, she crawled out of bed, put on her robe and slippers and went downstairs in search of him. The first place she decided to check was the basement, concerned he was working on some kind of magical experiment. It had been over a year since he'd returned from Neverland and defeated his father in a battle that left the former Dark One shaken yet he refused to talk to anyone else but her about it. Also he was still trying to repair his relationship with his son and get to know his grandson better. He feared the others still thought him capable of ending the boy's life to save his own but the undoing he'd feared so for centuries was only the undoing of the Dark One. The dagger that once bore his name was now just another weapon he kept handy for protection along with the gun. He was still capable of wielding magic however, there were more limits on what he could do.

She knelt and looked in the basement window to find her husband not performing a magical experiment but sitting in front of the laptop he bought a few weeks ago and was teaching her how to use. She scowled.

No...he wouldn't be looking at that stuff! she thought. She'd overheard Ruby and Ashley talking one day in the diner about how some of the men in Storybrooke had a nasty habit of looking at dirty pictures on the computer. Unlike the rest of the women, she was not going to be silent about it. She opened the basement door.

"Rumplestiltskin, what are you doing?" she demanded. "It's three in the morning!"

"Oh, come on! How the hell did she get to level 85 already!?" he growled.

"Rumple!" Belle shouted.

"What...oh...sweetheart, what are you doing up?" he asked softly as he looked up from the screen.

"I might ask you the same question. Are you down here looking at that...porn?"

"Porn? Of course not. I'm playing the slots."

"The slots?"

He motioned for her to sit beside him. She could see some pictures on the screen along with some words. "Do you see that button that says spin?"

"Ummm...yes."

"Move the pointer over to it and click." he instructed. Belle clicked on the button and the pictures started moving. When they stopped colored lines appeared through them along with noise and another picture popped up that seemed to be counting.

"Oh! Did I mess something up Rumple?" she asked worriedly.

To her surprise, her husband cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. "Damn, I should've let you do this along time ago! A hundred thousand coins and a level up! I'll beat that Evil Queen yet!" he crowed. He took the mouse and clicked the screen again, typing something.

"I won money?"

"Not real money my sweetheart, but yes you did," was her husband's gleeful reply. "I've been trying to get enough coins to be at a higher level than Regina for a damned week but she's been getting further ahead."

"You play this with Regina?"

"Her and half of Storybrooke. The rest of us share free coins and spins but that greedy bitch keeps all hers to herself. No matter."

His cellphone rang. He glanced down at the display and burst into laughter as he pressed the answer button and put it on speaker.

"A hundred grand and you can only share two thousand coins, Papa? That sucks!" Bae complained. "You better be sending me some free spins!"

"Actually Belle was the one who did it." Rumple confessed.

"Belle? Papa, you said she only gets on Facebook to talk to everybody not play the slots."

"This looks fun," Belle said as she clicked on the spin button again. "Oooh, look Rumple. I won again!" she cried excitedly.

"How much did she get?" Neal asked.

"Just two hundred." Rumple replied with a frown. "You can go to different slots. See," he said as he moved the mouse on the screen to show her the different video slot machines the game had to offer. "And you can bet more or less. It's up to you. Tell you what. Why don't we sign me out and go under your account so you can start playing?" he suggested.

"Papa, you're gonna have to get another laptop." Neal cautioned. "You get her playing the slots and she won't get off long enough for you to play."

"I'll buy her one in the morning. Now add her to your list Bae and tell the others so they can start sending her spins."

"Okay. Gotcha. Night, Papa."

After Bae hung up Belle reached across the table and took her husband's hand in hers. "Is this game helping you and Baelfire bond more?" she inquired softly.

"Yes, but we still have a long way to go. I don't care how long it takes or what it takes. I'm not going to let him go again...not like he did to me." Rumple added bitterly. "And when I think about what he did to Henry..."

"It's over now, darling. You have your son and your grandson back, you have me and...maybe someday Bae and Hope will have a brother or sister but that's not going to happen if you insist on sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night to play the slot machines," she added with a grin. She wanted to have the large family they'd been blessed with at their wedding.

"You were having as much fun playing as I did," he reminded her.

"Yes, and I'll play them some more after you buy me that laptop but I still want to work on getting that brother or sister for Bae and Hope."

"Oh, I sense a deal coming," he murmured, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of what she was proposing. Although the deals he struck now were few and far between, he'd learned over the last twenty-nine years that the most beneficial ones always were with the blue eyed beauty sitting beside him.

"We can play the slots in the morning but we work on having another baby at night?" she proposed.

"And the deal is struck," he declared and they sealed their new agreement with a kiss.

"Since it's still nighttime..."

She didn't need to say anything more.

Over in her mansion on Mifflin Street Regina Mills, the former Evil Queen glanced at her Facebook page, smirking with satisfaction as she saw the latest events in her lifelong rivalry with a certain imp. The verbal sparring was still there and while she was reading through the posts of the day from the game Caesar's Casino, she clicked to reply to one of them.

Remember how you said I was never going to beat you? Well it looks like I AM Rumple. Three million coins and up to level 85! Where are you...oh, that's right. You're only on level 73. You can keep trying, dearie but you're never gonna beat ME! she typed, chuckling while she threw his own words right back at him then opened a new window in her browser. As soon as she clicked on one of the slots she could see that a tournament was being held. She increased her bet amount and started spinning, anticipating leaving her competitors in the dust. Players from around the world were starting to realize that they were no match for the Evil Queen. The jackpot would be hers.

Over in their loft, Snow and Charming were sitting at the kitchen table with their laptops open searching their Facebook pages.

"Snow! Rumple's sharing two thousand coins to the first five clickers! Hurry up and click it before Regina gets it!"

"She's on so we can kiss those two thousand coins goodbye," Snow complained. "We share all our wins and free spins but she never does and she STILL has more money than we do. I bet she cheats and buys coins too."

"We can get Emma to hack her checking account to find out," Charming suggested.

"Is this a Storybrooke's sheriff's deputy suggesting we break the law?" she giggled.

"Yeah because I want to know how the hell she's beating the whole town. Hell, even Rumple is nowhere close to getting to the level she's at and he's been getting a lot of big wins."

While they were switching back and forth between browser screens, a new message appeared on their Facebook pages from Regina announcing her latest victory. Charming read the message, smiling wickedly as an idea formed in his mind.

Later that day while she was at the shopping center Regina spotted her nemesis in the electronics department talking with the clerk as they stood in front of a display of laptop computers. She sauntered over to them.

"You think getting a new computer will make you level up faster in Caesar's, Rumple?" she taunted. "I'm now on level 89...looks like you've got a looong way to go."

"Do you mind? We're in the middle of a conversation here!" he barked. "Now then," He turned back to the clerk. "My wife doesn't need anything fancy, just something she can use to get on the internet, play games and talk to our family members."

"Sure Mr. Gold. How about this one?" the clerk suggested, gesturing to one of the computers. "It's half the price of that one but it has lower memory and a smaller hard drive. Also it's a bit lighter."

"Rumple, you should see this...oh, hello Regina," Belle greeted her former captor civilly when she approached them pushing a shopping cart filled with merchandise.

"It looks like Rumple's buying you a laptop. What for?"

"So I can play the slot machines because I seem to be good at it. I just started playing last night and I'm already up to level four," the beauty replied while her husband was unable to conceal his smirk at Regina's expression of disbelief.

"You bought her coins to get her ahead, didn't you?" the evil queen accused him.

"Hardly dearie. My wife is just very lucky. If anyone's buying coins to level up faster, it's you. Always have to take shortcuts, don't you?"

"Look who's talking," she retorted. "The only way you're gonna get past me Gold is by breaking out your wallet and buying coins or if you manage to win a tournament...which you won't if I'm playing in the same one."

"I don't play the machines you do."

"Nor can you because you can't unlock them yet. By the time my free spins for today are done, I should go up another level," she bragged.

Rumple scowled. "And who sends you free spins? You certainly don't share any with anyone here."

"You forgot my son and your grandson. Did you really think he wouldn't share with me?"

"I didn't even know he played."

"I taught him a month ago," Regina said proudly.

"I see," Rumple muttered.

"Plus I've made a few friends."

"I can only imagine what lies you've been feeding them."

The Evil Queen laughed. "Jealous, Rumple?"

"Of you? Of course not. What need would I have of people outside this town?"

"For starters...more free coins and spins," she taunted. "See you online, Rumple." she added as she walked away.

"She has a point, Mr. Gold," the clerk said. "I don't play the slots on Facebook but my mom does and she said the more friends you have, the more chances you have to get free coins and spins."

"Well, our experiences with people outside this town haven't been all that good. Belle, sweetheart, do you want this laptop?" Rumple inquired of his wife.

"That's fine Rumple."

After he paid for the laptop and placed it in the cart, he glanced through the other items his wife picked up while she was browsing through the store. He picked up a bag of pomegranates.

"What are these for?"

"The pomegranate is the symbol for fertility in many cultures," she explained. "And there was a lady giving out free samples of a juice made from them so I picked up some."

"And that...?" he pointed down to a scrap of blue satin and lace material tucked underneath a box.

"That... is for bedtime," she murmured.

He was considering altering their deal by starting bedtime early once he was able to see just what she would be wearing.

By the time they got to the checkout line the cart was even fuller...with toys.

"I didn't pick up all this! Belle, did you?"

"No."

Who..." He glanced down at the carrier to see his daughter grinning at him.

"I should have figured you'd be behind this, you wee imp!"

"Toys!" she squealed.

Belle laughed. "She's a chip off the old block, now isn't she?"

"Oh aye," he chuckled.

"...Let me get this straight...you want to hack into Regina's bank account so you can find out if she's buying coins for an online casino game?" Emma demanded of her parents. "Then you want to hack into her Facebook account and make her lose them all. Really, guys? That's the most immature thing you could do. It's just a game."

"At least we aren't trying to kill each other," Charming pointed out.

"And you think she won't be pissed once she finds out? This is the Evil Queen we're talking about here, the same one who put Mom under a sleeping curse and Henry into one by him eating an apple turnover meant for me. My suggestion is that you suck it up and just try to play better if you're that determined to beat her. This town has finally settled down now that the father from Neverhell is gone and I'd like to keep it that way," Emma said firmly.

"Hi Mom!" Henry greeted as he entered the loft. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Your grandparents just needed a lecture on maturity. "Where's your dad? He was supposed to pick you up from school today. Don't tell me he forgot!"

"I didn't," Bae said when he walked in. "I was a little late because I stopped by the shop to talk to Papa about something but it was closed."

"Gold's shop was closed during the day? That's odd," Emma mused. "You try calling him?"

"He's not answering his phone and neither is Belle. Probably playing the slots."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me they're involved in that damned Facebook slot machine insanity too!"

"Papa and Regina have had this competition going for weeks."

"Mom's winning though," Henry added.

"I should be grateful they're fighting each other on the internet instead of in person but what is so damned fascinating about a slot machine game that all the major players in Storybrooke are involved in it?"

"It's fun." was Henry's response.

"You too?" Emma groaned. "I give up!" she cried as she threw up her hands. "Come on Henry."

"Where are you going?" Snow asked her daughter.

"Somewhere I can find a little bit of sanity!" Emma grumbled as she walked out the door with her son in tow.

After they left Bae started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Snow inquired.

"I'm picturing the look on her face when she gets back to her apartment and finds out what Henry does after he does his homework. He uses an account under a different name to hide. That's what I was going to go to the shop to talk to Papa about. If he and Belle set up other Facebook accounts they can get more coins and spins to send to their main accounts. I tried to friend Papa a week ago but he ignored it because he doesn't know its me."

"This sounds like a better idea than hacking Regina's accounts." Snow spoke up.

"That option is still open."

"Charming you're not serious, are you?"

"You were all for it earlier," he reminded her.

"Yes, well I...all right, that's it! She HAS to be cheating. Look!" Snow cried as she turned her laptop screen around so that her husband could see it. Their Facebook pages were filled by posts from Regina announcing that she won more coins.

"I'm going in my room, Mom." Henry announced and was off before Emma had a chance to stop him.

In his room, Henry opened up his browser and pulled up Facebook. He clicked on the chat area and typed a message.

Henry Mills: Hi, Mom.

Regina Mills: Hello, Henry. How was school today?

Henry Mills: Good.

Regina Mills: If you have homework make sure you do it first before you start playing the slots.

Henry Mills: I will, Mom. Am I still coming to your house this weekend?

Regina Mills: Yes unless you have plans with Neal.

Henry Mills: No, the weekend is our time. Are you winning a lot?

Regina Mills: I certainly am but I'm letting my free spins run while I get some work done.

Henry Mills: I'm gonna get started on my homework. Love you Mom.

Regina Mills: I love you too Henry.

Regina smiled as she read her son's last message. In spite of everything that happened, her son still loved her and wanted to keep her in his life even though his birth parents were there now too. Seeing him, beating everyone in Storybrooke at the slot machines and talking to complete strangers online were the former Evil Queen's only pleasures in life now. She had hoped on a future with Robin but he was still morning the loss of his wife and building a life for himself in this strange land. She looked up at her browser. Her free spins were over and it was time to bet. Before she could, she saw she had another message. She quickly replied to it and resumed her game.

"Papa? Belle? Anyone here?" Bae called out, tucking his keys back into his coat pocket as he entered his father's Victorian. He searched downstairs first and found no trace of them. When he reached the top of the steps, his father emerged from the master bedroom in his robe.

"Bae! he cried.

"You feeling okay Papa? I went to the shop to talk to you but its closed."

"Yes well I'm ummm...taking the day off," he stammered.

"Where's Hope?"

"It's her naptime."

"Rumple, are you coming back to bed?" Belle inquired as she entered the hallway in a short blue satin and lace nightgown. Once she saw Rumple's son on the steps she flushed with embarrassment and retreated back into the bedroom. Bae chuckled.

"I can see you're..ahhhh...busy so this can wait til tomorrow."

"No, no. Just wait here a moment, would you?" Rumple begged. He went into the bedroom to find his wife smothering her laughter with her pillow.

"Rumple, do you think he heard...?"

"I hope not," the former Dark One muttered. "I've scarred my poor boy enough over the years with my actions although this would be a little less traumatic. He needs to know we're trying to have another baby..."

"You're worried he'll be upset," she finished.

"He's well within his rights to be after everything I did to him. His sister doesna have to deal with it."

She crawled out of bed and approached him, placing her hands on his shoulders, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones. "You've made mistakes with him but you've been working so hard now to be the father he's always needed. We just have to make sure that even when we have our baby we keep spending time with him too so that he doesn't feel left out. I know he's adult now but even as adults we still long for our parents' love."

"You and I haven't had much luck with our fathers, my sweetheart. Yours treated you like you were dead and mine...Gods forgive me but he was dead to me the moment he took my grandson's heart to save his own miserable life and trapped me in the box so that I couldn't help Henry..." Rumple's hands trembled as the memories of his father's deeds came rushing back again.

"We have to let go of the past and focus on making things right again," his wife said wisely. "A fresh start, Rumple."

He smiled and gently kissed her. "Go on back to bed. I'll be back in a little while."

Neal was sitting in the living room working on one of the laptops when Rumple walked in.

"What are you doing, Bae?"

"You need to run some of these free spins, Papa. We can only send you ten a day you know."

"I've been a bit preoccupied lately."

"I kinda figured that. I could've waited to talk to you tomorrow at the shop."

"No, son. What I have to say can't wait. Belle and I...we're trying to have another baby." Rumple gazed at his son's face, bracing himself for Bae's anger. "I know...I know I wasn't a good father to you and..."

"Papa, stop!" Bae pleaded. "We can't keep doing this digging up the past. It's over and done, neither one of us can change it. I knew sooner or later Belle would want to have another baby. She's still young and obviously you're still capable. It's odd having another brother, sister a lot younger than me but I'll probably spoil them just as rotten as you will. And I haven't been a good father either but I'm trying to make amends just like you are."

Rumple exhaled a deep sigh of relief and threw his arms around his son. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what is it you wanted to talk to me about at the shop?"

"Our mutual addiction."

"I have tried everything I possibly could but I cannot catch up to Regina for the life of me!"

"Well, Snow and Charming were talking about hacking her Facebook and credit accounts to see if she's buying coins but I have a better idea. Create more accounts so you can get more spins and shared coins."

"More accounts? What do you mean, Bae?"

"Well, Tink and I have one account under our real names and another one under fake names."

"How did you do that?"

"I'm going to show you. You might want to create one for Belle too."

Bae set the laptop down on the coffee table and in less than ten minutes both his father and Belle had a second Facebook account under different names set up to play the slot machines. While they were collection free coin and spin gifts, Rumple explained to his son the arrangement he and Belle made.

"I want to beat Regina but I want another baby with Belle more."

"How about we make a deal?" Bae suggested. "I'll play your account at night."

"You can't play two accounts at the same time."

"Oh yes you can. Watch this bit of magic, Papa."

Rumple watched with fascination as his son opened two browser windows running Bae's account and his own at the same time, both of them open to the slot machine application. He smirked, imagining the look on the Evil Queen's face when she realized he was starting to catch up to her had a chance of surpassing her own achievements.

"Have you taught the others this trick?"

"Yeah, except Henry. Regina already taught him how to do it."

"I'm not surprised. Go ahead and play my account tonight."

"And you'll keep me updated about the other issue?"

"Of course I will."

When Rumple returned to the master bedroom his wife was sitting up in bed reading a book.

"Did everything go all right?"

"Better than I hoped," her husband replied with a smile as he crawled under the blankets beside her. "And he did tell me why he needed to speak to me. Apparently he has a trick up his sleeve that can help me beat Regina."

"You can show me that tomorrow," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his mouth to hers.

Later on that night, a small group was seated at the dining room table in Bae's apartment, laptops and browsers open to multiple webpages and they had much more in common than just an interest in playing an online slot machine game. Two had been captives in Neverland while the others had either been there by choice or trying to bring someone home from there. It had been six months but they were still trying to put their memories of the island behind them and finding another common interest was helping heal the emotional scars that still ran deep in them.

"Anyone have a preference for snacks before we start?" Wendy asked, a notepad and pen in her hand.

"Coors," Michael spoke up.

"Bae, maybe you or Tink better go with me for this one. I have my ID but they keep refusing to sell me anything alcoholic because they don't believe I'm over 21," Wendy said.

"Then get soda," Eric suggested.

Bae glanced over at the woman who until a year ago had been a teenager until his father made her closer to her brothers' age. It was a difficult spell that weakened his father to the point where he was almost bedridden for a week. Still, he, Michael and Jonathan had their sister back and he would forever be grateful for Rumple's efforts on their behalf.

"Ariel?"

"I'd like some of those Hawaiian Onion chips if you can find them. Eric and I haven't been able to and we've visited every grocery store in Storybrooke."

"On second thought Wendy, I think we do need to get some alcohol…to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Wendy inquired. "You were in a good mood when you came back from visiting your father so am I assuming that has something to do with it?"

Bae grinned. "Yeah I'll tell you when me and Tink get back."

"Jerk!" The others threw peanuts at him.

Once Bae and Tink were alone in the car, she turned to him. "I'm not waiting til we get back. What did your father say that makes you want to celebrate?"

"He and Belle are trying to give me another brother or sister," Neal declared proudly.

"And you're all right with that after….everything?"

"Yeah, I am. But what would make it even better is if I gave him a new grandchild. You want to help me out on this one?" he murmured as he nuzzled her neck. They'd been dating for almost a year, Bae having given up on Emma after two months of nothing but the cold shoulder. Still Tink harbored doubts that she and Bae had a chance at a future together.

"I could…but this isn't the place for that," she said softly. "We'll work on that later."

When they returned half an hour later Bae opened a bottle of champagne and handed glasses out to everyone. "First, my father and Belle have new Facebook accounts so you'll need to add them to your friends list and start sharing what we win tonight…no amount is too small. Second….I may have a new brother or sister very soon."

"I think it's wonderful," Ariel said dreamily. "He and Belle love each other very much and another baby will only bring them closer."

"It's eight. We need to get playing because Regina's already on and her Facebook page is loaded with posts about Megawins." Tink announced.

"Tink, I'm playing Papa's account and mine tonight," Bae informed her. "Woo hoo!"

"You better be sharing that!" Michael cautioned. "How much was it?"

"Guys, the app homepage has a link for free coins too. Get over there quick!" Eric called out.

"And free spins," Ariel added.

"I just leveled up!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Share!" the others called out.

Over on Mifflin Street Regina growled with frustration as she watched her ranking drop in the tournament she was participating in but she wasn't one to quit when it seemed like she had no chance of winning.

"If I can toss people into another world and make them forget who they are for twenty eight years I can sure as hell win this damned tournament!" she hissed and increased her bet amount again. She was already under three million coins now but she had more than Rumple who had somehow managed to level up twice in the last two days probably with a little help with that wife of his. Suddenly a message popped up on her screen.

Henry Mills: Mom, how'd you get below three million?

Regina Mills: I seem to have some difficult competition in this tournament. Play for one more hour and then you should be getting to bed, okay?

Henry Mills: I will Mom. I'm losing a lot now.

Regina Mills: Increase your bet then try to stop the reels if you can't get them to hit active pay lines automatically.

Henry Mills: I'm trying, it's not working.

Regina Mills: What machine are you on?

Henry Mills: Invasion From Outerspace.

Regina Mills: How much are you betting?

Henry Mills: 3,000.

Regina Mills: Increase to 7,500 then watch the reels. As soon as you see the bonuses start to show up, try stopping the reels yourself.

Henry Mills: Mom, it worked! I got four bonus tiles!

Regina Mills: Good job! Now remember, the fuel ship can be in the four corners or the center.

Henry Mills: I hit the fuel ship and it's worth more!

Regina Mills: The more bonus tiles you have, the higher the prize amounts will be.

Henry Mills: Thanks Mom. Check your home page for my share.

Regina Mills: Don't forget to use the autocollect app tomorrow. It will add on the coins I share. I warned the others they are not to collect any of my shares until you get them.

Henry Mills: Are we gonna play tomorrow?

Regina Mills: Tomorrow night, yes. I have something special planned for the day.

Henry Mills: You're not gonna tell me?

Regina Mills: Don't want to ruin the surprise.

Henry Mills: Okay. I'll let you get back to your tournament. Get 'em, Mom!"

Regina Mills: Looks like my luck is turning around. Three more spots and the jackpot is mine! Good night, sweetie.

Henry Mills: Night, Mom.

Back in her apartment Emma sat in front of her laptop with her browser open to Facebook watching posts from her friends and family updating, shaking her head. It looked like every single one of them was on the slot machines game, including Hook. She knew he would go lick his wounds at Neal's place. He always did but she was still so angry at him for being so foolish that she wasn't ready to forgive him yet. Out of curiosity she clicked on the Caesar's Casino app and waited for it to load.

"May as well see what the fuss is about," she mumbled and started setting up an account.

"I could actually learn to enjoy these things, sweetheart," Rumple said to his wife while they were in the basement. He was at his spinning wheel spinning the wool he would need for a quilt Belle wanted to make for the new baby they hoped to have soon between taking bites from a pomegranate while their daughter took her nap. She was sipping blueberry pomegranate juice from their cherished chipped teacup while a book lay open on her lap. "Did you also read about the pomegranate story from Greek Mythology?"

She smiled. "I do think of you as my Hades and me as your Persephone."

"Except I don't have a three headed dog and sit on a throne made of bones. I did have a Dark Castle at one point."

"I do not miss cleaning it."

"Oh come on, dearie. It wasn't that bad."

She scoffed. "You weren't the one doing the cleaning. And I don't miss having to do your laundry by hand. That washing machine is wonderful."

"And since I'm not the Dark One anymore the word around town is that I've gone soft. I can't have that."

Belle shook her head. "Sometimes I don't know whether to smack you or kiss you!"

"You are the only other person besides my son that has permission to do both without being skinned alive. Speaking of my son, can you turn on my laptop and find out how he's doing in our little battle with the Evil Queen?"

"I think I'll play for a bit while I'm on. If you want to play you'll have to bring my laptop down. It's up in the bedroom but we don't want to be up too late if you're going to the shop in the morning and I'm hosting a reading group in the afternoon at the library."

"What book did you choose this time?"

"The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm taking Hope with me."

"Excellent choice, dearie."

"A few of the women keep begging me to make a modern book the weekly read but most of those books are a bit….racy."

Rumple chuckled. "Like those ones you have hidden in the closet that you didn't think I'd find?" he teased. "I'm assuming they were given to you by that wolf best friend you have."

Belle blushed. "She shared some with me and Ariel. Told us we'd find some….inspiration in them. I…oh my goodness…Rumple look at this!" she cried.

"What?" he demanded worriedly as he jumped out of his chair and rushed over to her side as fast as his limp would carry him. One of the side effects of losing the powers of the Dark One was its return but he'd lived with it for so long that it didn't bother him much anymore. "Well, well, well it looks like our esteemed Deputy Sheriff has finally learned the concept of 'If you can't beat them, join them.' Send her a friend request from both of us but make sure you tell her who we are so she doesn't have a fit," he added. A few minutes later he returned with Belle's laptop and sent a message to his son.

BeastofStorybrooke: Bae, can you sign out of my main account?

Neal Cassidy: Sure Papa. You going to play it for a while.

BeastofStorybrooke: Yes. Belle is already on. Did you happen to notice we have a new player?

Neal Cassidy: No. Who?

BeastofStorybrooke: Emma.

Neal Cassidy: Good one, Papa.

BeastofStorybrooke: I'm serious. Look on her homepage. She's playing.

Emma Swan: BeastofStorybrooke? Really, Gold?

BeastofStorybrooke: I have an image to uphold.

Emma Swan: Whatever. Can you help me with this slot thing? I really don't know what I'm doing?

BeastofStorybrooke: It's simple. All you have to do is bet and spin.

Emma Swan: Looks boring to me.

BeastofStorybrooke: You'll never get to where Regina is with that attitude, dearie.

Emma Swan: Okay I'll try it.

On Mifflin Street Regina was delighted to see that another of her nemeses had joined the game but Emma was as inept at playing the slots as she was at using her magic. Grinning evilly, she opened her messenger and sent a text.

Regina Mills: You'll never get to where I am.

Emma Swan: Want to bet on that Regina?

Regina Mills: Dear, if the imp can't even get to where I am what makes you think you can?

Emma Swan: Call it the Savior's confidence.

Regina Mills: I call it delusions of grandeur.

Emma Swan: Stop texting me. I'm playing.

Regina Mills: Certainly. I'll just watch you limp along like the others.

Another message popped up on her screen inviting her to a group chat room called High Rollers. She happily joined in because she had made friends with some of the world's best gamblers through this chat room and they were giving her advice for the little trip she was planning on taking at the end of the month.

Although they both had work in the morning, Snow and Charming logged on to play for an hour or two before they went to sleep and like everyone else, they were stunned to see that their daughter had finally given in to the temptation to play but she wasn't doing well.

"We're going to have to help her with this or she'll be left in the dust," Charming said. "Now do you think we should consider hacking Regina's account?"

"No. She'll learn. She just has to play often enough. Oh, Belle sent me a message. She and Rumple want to have a get together at their house on Sunday."

Okay. Just the four of us?"

"No, she invited Ariel and Eric too. Married couples only. They want us there at four and I don't know what we'll be doing til we play the slots at eight but knowing Belle it has to be something interesting."

"You better open up your autocollect. Bae's crew has been busy!"

"Working on it while I'm talking to Belle."

"You asking her about Sunday?"

"Yes."

Charming decided he was going to try to get some answers out of Belle's husband too. They may have been family but didn't socialize that often unless Belle talked Rumple into doing it.

David Nolan: Something wrong that you've restricted this little get together to married couples only?

Rumple Gold: No. You'll just have to wait until Sunday for the details.

David Nolan: That's all I get.

Rumple Gold: That's all you get.

Mary Margaret Nolan: Do I need to bring anything, Belle?

Belle Gold: If you want to make something, you can. I'm doing this because I want Rumple to start talking to people more.

Mary Margaret Nolan: He's changed a lot since…Neverland and I don't just mean not being the Dark One anymore and everyone credits you for that.

Belle Gold: I love him. I always have and I always will. He has his faults but he's no different from the rest of us.

Emma groaned with frustration when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Em, it's Ruby. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the club tonight."

"Can't…on a roll here," she grumbled as she clicked to spin again.

"Umm…did I interrupt you in the middle of…"

"No. Playing the slots."

"Oh, then you better add Granny to get coins off her. Maybe some other time?"

"Yeah. I'll let you know."

Once Ruby hung up, she pulled up her chat log and reread the messages she'd gotten from Rumple. He'd been explaining where she needed to go to collect free coins and spins. It was confusing to the young woman at first but she was quickly learning.

Rumple Gold: Up to level three already. Impressive, Miss Swan.

Emma Swan: Dammit, Gold! How many names do you have on here?

Rumple Gold: Just two…so far. You may want to set up a second account yourself.

Emma Swan: Will do it in the morning. On a roll.

Rumple Gold: There's hope for you after all.

Regina arrived at Emma's apartment early the following morning and was greeted by an exhausted Emma Swan. She laughed, having been in that state herself when she first started playing the slots until she started setting up her free spin gifts to run on the same machine while she slept. Once in a while the website would throw fits and disconnect her making her lose spins and coins. Those instances sparked a barrage of nasty emails to the site developers.

"Even after all night playing you're still not able to catch up to me," the Evil Queen bragged. "And quite frankly, you should take the day off and sleep. The last thing this town needs is a deputy who can't concentrate on her job because she didn't get enough sleep."

"Shut up Regina," Emma growled.

"Hi Mom!" Henry called out as he threw his arms around his other mother.

"You have all your stuff Henry?" she asked him.

"Yep."

"I won't be bringing him back until Monday afternoon." She said to Emma.

"That's fine. Have a good time Henry."

"I will."

Regina drove them back to her house. Henry unpacked his things in his old room while she was in the kitchen setting up for one of the two surprises she had planned for him that weekend.

Belle wanted to scream in frustration. She was quickly losing patience with her weekly reading group. No matter how hard she tried to spark their interest in the classics, these women insisted on focusing more of their attentions on contemporary works, mostly romances. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy reading romances; the hidden stack of books in her closet was incontrovertible evidence of it. The issue she had was that the majority of them were filled with sex scenes that added little to the plot. From the moment she reopened Storybrooke's library, her main mission was to inspire both adults and children to enjoy reading as much as she did and she had been successful at it, just not in the way she wanted.

She was relieved when the meeting was over and she could put her assistant in charge of the library while she visited her husband at the pawn shop. He was standing at the counter writing in a ledger when she walked in.

"Sweetheart, why do you look like you'd like to strangle someone?" he inquired.

"I feel like you're the only person in this town I can have an intelligent conversation with today!" she cried. "The ladies in my reading group asked me again if we can make one of their books the topic of next month's discussions. I tried reading it…I honestly did but it is trash!"

"Then let them have their own discussion group about it," he advised. "I don't want you getting too upset with people who want to pollute their minds with garbage." He walked over to the door and turned the sign to read closed and escorted his wife to the backroom where he made them a pot of tea. She laughed when she saw his laptop sitting on the table, Hope on his lap.

"Have you been playing the slots?"

"Every few hours. But I was also looking into something else."

"Oh? What was that?"

"A vacation. Outside the town line. I recall you telling me when we were back in the Dark Castle you wanted to see the world. Also," he added with a sigh. "I don't want our children to feel like they're trapped here."

"I think it's a wonderful idea. But where?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

Henry found Regina in the kitchen with her countertop cluttered with ingredients.

"What are you doing , Mom?"

"This is one of your surprises, Henry. We're going to make a pizza from scratch," she replied with a smile.

"What's the other one?"

"Well, I was wondering…how would you like to go to Las Vegas with me?" she asked.

"You mean to the real Caesar's Casino?"

"Yes."

"I'd love to!" the boy cried excitedly and threw his arms around her.

When Rumple and Belle informed their grandson of their plans he was ecstatic.

"That means you can go to the real casinos like Mom and me!" Henry said.

"Oh? Planning on trying your luck in Vegas, dearie?"

Regina grinned. "I am. What do you say we move this little competition of ours off the internet and into the real place?" she challenged. "I want to take Henry to Vegas at the end of the month. Since you can now leave, you have no excuse to not go too."

"I have something else I'd prefer to work on first."

"What could possibly be more important than making a fortune on the real slots?"

"Giving my wife a real honeymoon and another baby," he answered.

Regina's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "You want to have another child…at your age? This could be interesting. Well, you could have your honeymoon in Vegas."

"Sorry, dearie, but I'd rather go somewhere you wouldn't be breathing down my neck. I hereby call our competition to a close and declare you the winner. Enjoy it."

"You are going soft, Rumple," she muttered, disappointed that he hadn't put up much of a fight. She still had the rest of the town to humiliate. That would have to suffice. And now she would have one more advantage over them, she would be playing the real slots.

"Charming, I'd like to go to Las Vegas," Snow spoke up. "They have some great shows there too along with the slots."

Regina smirked. There was hope after all. She would bury these two idiots in the dust. "We're not travelling together," she said firmly. "You want to tag along; you pay your own way."

"Fine with us," Charming spoke up.

"I'm going too," Emma spoke up as she and Hook joined the group. "I haven't been back to Vegas in a while and I don't trust you not to give my parents a rough time."

Regina glared at her. "I'll give them one if they give me one, dear." she retorted. "The same goes for you."

"Belle, sweetheart, do you have any ideas where you'd like to go?" Rumple asked his wife.

"No. Do you?"

"Certainly not Las Vegas."

"How about Miami Beach?" Bae suggested. "I worked at a resort there a few years ago and the owners have been asking me to come back to visit but I can call and see if they'll make a reservation for you. And then we can find out if they're really related to us."

"Why don't you and Tink come with us?" Belle suggested. "After all, it will give you and your father a chance to spend some time together too."

If Rumple was in need of another reason why he adored his wife, she'd just given him one by suggesting Bae accompany them on their vacation before he even had the chance to do so and he had every intention of doing so.

"And you know this town and can be a guide for Belle and me," he said.

"All right, Papa. Who knows? Maybe getting away from Storybrooke is what you need to do to speed along the process of getting me another sibling," Bae teased. "Come on. We'll go back to your shop and I'll call out there to see if we can get reservations."

An hour later, half the members of the Strogoff family were gathered in the pawnshop while Bae called the resort in Miami Beach having already discussed how long they planned on staying and when they wanted to leave if there were rooms available. The phone rang several times before a woman picked up.

"McDermott Manor, this is Melanie speaking. How may I help you?"

"Lanie? Lanie Preston? Is that you?" Neal inquired.

"It's Lanie Willis now but yes, this is me. Who is this?"

"Neal. Neal Cassidy."

"Neal Cassidy! Oh my God I haven't heard from you in years! How the hell have you been? Where the hell have you been?!"

"I was in New York but I just moved to Maine to see my father."

"Your father? I thought you said you didn't speak to him."

"Well, we've patched things up. Anyway, he just got married and he and his wife haven't had a chance to have a real honeymoon so I wanted to bring them out there."

"You sure you don't want to come back to work here? We could use you now more than ever since the expansion."

"Umm…I have my roots set here now. Do you have any rooms available?"

"Seeing as it's you calling let me check with Channon and see what she wants to do. You mind holding a few minutes?" Lanie Willis asked him.

Bae covered the receiver of the phone with his hand as he spoke to his father. "She's checking with the owner. Hold on, I think someone's picking up."

"Neal, it's been a long time," another female said in a Scottish accent as she came on the line.

"Hi Channon. Did Lanie tell you I want to come back to visit?"

"Of course she did. I have rooms ready for ye. I just need to know how many people will be with ye and if any of them have special needs."

"My father has some trouble walking on one leg but he gets around with his cane. It'll be me, him, his wife and my girlfriend."

"Ye'll be staying in one of our new buildings and I'll gie yer father and his new bride the honeymoon suite and ye and yer girlfriend the other room. The only other details I will need will be your flight number and what time it's arriving so I can have my driver pick ye up and how long ye will be staying."

"My father wants to stay for at least two weeks. Let me give you my credit.."

"No. This one is on me. I owe ye, remember."

"Channon!" he protested.

"I'm not taking no for an answer. You can max out your credit treating yer father around town. I'll put ye back with Lanie so she can finish the reservation."

"Thanks Channon."

"Okay Neal. I already have you in. Just need to add the others. What's your father's name?"

"Rumple Strogoff-Gold."

"Your father's name is Rumple?!" the girl asked then burst into hysterical laughter.

"Knock it off Lanie!" Neal snapped while his father looked like he wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the girl on the other line. For a man who treated names as being important, his own being mocked was an insult.

"I can't help it. Who the hell names their child Rumple? Was he on crack?"

No, he was just a psychotic little shit who tried to kill my son.

"Dare I ask what his wife's name is?" she teased.

"Christ Lanie, knock it the hell off! Her name is Belle."

"And your girlfriend?"

"I call her Tink…and if you say one word Lanie I swear when I get there I'm gonna drown your ass in the pool the first chance I get!" he threatened.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop but oh my God….I pity your dad having a name like that!"

If she only knew what Tink's and my real names were…

"I suppose we could have avoided that insanity by just using my first initial," Rumple grumbled. "That's what I usually do anyway."

"Oh, I'd get it worse if she knew my real name, Papa."

"And you worked at this resort?" his father inquired.

"Yeah."

"Are they all ignorant there?"

"Nah."

"I'm looking forward to seeing another place," Belle said softly.

"I don't know if I'm ready to," Rumple confessed.

Later that night a nervous Baelfire drove to Deputy Molk's house. He knocked on the door several times before David answered.

"Bae! Come on in."

"I have to talk to you...and Beth."

"What about?"

"McDermott Manor. We're going back there and I'd prefer it if you and Beth went with us."

David's eyes narrowed. "You know the hell Beth went through in that place and you want her to go back? I'd tell you to hit the bricks but I'd rather pound you into them!"

"David, please!" Beth pleaded.

"You know why we have to go. Papa thinks the McDermotts might be our cousins."

"I don't think they are. I know they are. They're my descendants," David said stiffly. "Rumple's father Malcolm was my grandson from my third daughter Jane in my first life as Morgan Whitmore, Lord Mayford. And I don't think I need to remind you that the McDermotts are well versed in dark magic, at least Jamie was. I'm still not certain about Channon. You should've told your father what went on down there before this. What do you think is going to happen if you show up there now? Detective Rivera is just itching to haul your ass to jail. We'll go but I warn you...anything happens to my wife there and I will pound you into the bricks. I don't care whose son you are!"

"I'm sorry David, but...I think it would be easier on Papa if Beth backs me up."

David glared at him. "If the police come to us we're telling them everything we know about that place...and Willie Roasch. I wanted Beth to leave all that behind when we got married and now you're forcing her to relive it again. I really, really am fighting the urge to beat the shit outta you right now."

"I know and I'm sorry!"

"You will be."

"Beth..."

"It's all right Bae. I knew I'd have to face Channon sooner or later." She sighed.

"I would have preferred it to be later. All right, Bae. Tell your father we''ll be traveling with them."

"I owe you one David."

"You're damned right you do!"

Bae was barely out the door when Archie teleported into the Molk house.

"All right David, what's wrong? You're upset and you know when you get upset, I get upset."

"Rumple's planning to take his family on a vacation."

"Why would that upset you?"

"They're going to McDermott Manor."

Archie's eyes widened. "Does Rumple know...?"

"No, he doesn't. Bae hasn't told him yet and it's not my place to tell him either but I hate the idea of going back to that place after the hell Jamie put Beth through nor do I trust Channon not to try something. I'd rather have you and Az there if she does."

"I think three Greek Ozian Guardians are more than a match for a Scots-Irish witch, David. Don't worry about it. I'll just tell Rumple Dellia and I want to go too so the kids can see the beach." He laughed. "DG, Wyatt and Glitch want to go to Vegas with Regina."

His twin burst out laughing. "She has no idea what she's getting herself into with those three, is she?"

"Well she'll find out soon enough."

There were plenty of surprises awaiting everyone on their vacation.


	2. The Royal Treatment

 

Ruby and her grandmother hosted a Bon Voyage dinner for the two sets of travelers the day before their departure at the diner. Nearly all the residents of their little town attended, expressing both excitement and concern that their most prominent residents were once again off on another adventure outside their boundaries. Emma and Bae were the only ones who had seen more of this world than their fairy tale counterparts and found it both exciting and frightening, but they were tired of being confined in the small town and so were their friends and family members. The trips being taken by the families would serve as a test to the others whether it was safe enough for all of them to enter the outside world.

"Do you want me to bring you anything back from Vegas, Grandpa?" Henry asked Rumple.

"Whatever you like. I'll see what Belle, your father and I can pick up for you in Miami Beach."

"Great."

While Rumple was talking to his grandson, Ruby pulled Belle aside and handed her a large box.

"What's this?"

"A little something I picked up for you to wear to remind your husband he still needs to keep up in his efforts to get you pregnant," she said.

Belle opened the box to find a nightgown similar to one she bought weeks earlier however this one was more revealing. "Ummm, thank you Ruby."

"He is working on it, isn't he? Not being up all night playing the slots on the computer?"

"Oh, we still play but...we have an agreement that we don't play at night."

"You guys can still go with us. I don't think Papa will mind," Bae was saying to the Darling clan.

"No. You need this time with him and Belle," Wendy told him. "We can all go some other time. Just bring us back lots of pictures and stories. Yours will probably be the quietest of vacations because you all get along. The others..."

Bae chuckled. "I don't even want to think about how they'll be able to stand being around each other for two weeks without wanting to kill. Then again, they managed it in Neverland."

"That was different. They had Pan to deal with," Michael pointed out. "Speaking of him...how is your father coping?"

"He doesn't talk about him at all...at least not to me. I know that was his father but Papa did what he had to do and he saved us all."

"And helped bring us back together," Jonathan added. "We'll always be grateful to him and Belle for that."

Both sets of travelers were back in their homes before 7 pm since they had early flights out of Maine the next morning. The Miami group would ride to the airport in Rumple's Cadillac and Archie's bus while the Las Vegas group would be divided between riding in Regina's Mercedes, Emma's Bug and Charming and Wyatt's trucks. The separate vehicles were required because of Regina's refusal to have anyone other than Henry in her car.

The group leaving for Las Vegas gathered at Regina's home early in the morning.

"Regina, where's Henry?"

"I'm right behind you, Mom?" Emma heard an unfamiliar voice speak up from behind her and spun around to face a man who looked to be in his early twenties standing behind her. He had the same brown hair and eyes as their son and some of Bae's facial features, but this couldn't be Henry. It had to be a trick.

"Regina! REGINA WHAT IN GOD'S NAME DID YOU DO?" Emma shouted.

"I can't get in the casinos unless I'm twenty-one, so I used an illusion spell to make me look like an adult to everyone else but family. Close your eyes and then reopen them," the boy instructed.

Emma obeyed and when she opened her eyes, the younger Henry stood before her. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's a whole new world to us and I have to look the part."

"Yes, but one I'm ready to conquer," Regina declared in her Evil Queen voice. "All the riches in Vegas shall be mine."

"This is going to be hell," Snow muttered.

"For you, maybe," Regina retorted. "Word of advice...put some space between us and there won't be any problems. So then, do we have everything? Money, credit cards, IDs?"

"All of the above. I take it we have a fake one for Henry?" Emma asked.

"I don't know how Bae got hold of one, but yes."

"I should not be hearing this!" Wyatt groaned and covered his ears.

DG swatted at him playfully. "Oh, stop! You forget you were a rebel back in the day!"

"That was different, darlin. I was a political rebel."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Ah live a little, will ya Cain," Ambrose joked. Wyatt glared at him.

Emma had her suspicions, but she wasn't going to bring it up. Not long after they met, she was starting to realize that Bae was probably guilty of more than just stealing watches, but he never mentioned anything about his past. She now understood why. He'd been estranged from his father and before he knew who she was, he kept it secret because he doubted she would believe he was the son of an evil sorcerer.

"One more thing: no magic from you unless we need it!" she warned Regina

"I beg your pardon."

"You heard me. We're not going to be in Storybrooke anymore and the last thing we need to do is draw attention to ourselves by doing things that make people think we're not normal. We're just a family on vacation, nothing else."

"She's right Regina," Charming spoke up.

"And you two...no turning into dragons and having a feeding frenzy," Regina warned DG and Wyatt.

"We have better control over that now," DG reassured her.

"You'd better. And lock the swords up too!"

"I'm beginning to think we should've gone with Rumple and your sister," Wyatt muttered under his breath to his wife.

"I heard that!" Regina snapped.

"Again, I say...this is going to be hell," Snow sighed.

Belle stared at her husband in confusion as he removed his shoes and dropped them in a container at the airport and handed the attendant his cane.

"Sweetheart, it's a safety precaution...uncivilized, but it is," he said to her. She frowned and removed her boots while Bae, Tink, David, Beth, Archie and Az followed suit, Az trying to balance Andrew on her shoulder as she did so while Archie carried Amber. Once they were through the checkpoint, they recovered their items and boarded the plane, four of them excited yet nervous at the same time. It was as if they were entering a whole new world. For Bae, going back to Miami was like another homecoming. It was the place he'd retreated to after leaving Canada, the place that had gotten him out of a life of crime. The only problems were that he feared his father finding out he'd done more than just commit a few robberies in Miami Beach and staying out of the way of the vice squad or his old boss. It had been eleven years but the three officers he dealt with had very long memories.

 

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

**Summer, 2013**

 

Regina had spared no expense to make this trip with Henry memorable and her primary nemesis was turning back into the soft hearted fool he'd been before he became the Dark One thanks to Belle. Oh, they had their little verbal spats once in a while but what she wouldn't give for a long, drawn out feud again.

Yet had he not decided to rid himself of his darkness forever they both knew it would have cost them Henry and his being safe was worth the loss of her best source of wicked entertainment outside her online life. One of these days she was going to take Henry on a trip alone whether his father and Emma liked it or not. While they were doing God knew what in the years until they showed up in Storybrooke, she'd been the one to raise him into the strong boy he was now. Even Rumple had been forced to admit that.

While they were collecting their luggage, she spotted a limo driver holding up a card with her last name on it. The transport service had been recommended to her by one of her fellow online slot players. She planned to meet up with a group of them at Caeasar's Palace so that they could act as tour guides for her.

"Welcome to Las Vegas Ms. Mills. I'm Barry and I'll be your driver for the duration of your trip," the driver greeted her.

"Thank you. This is Henry and...our friends Emma, Mary, David, DG, Ambrose and Wyatt."

"And welcome to all of you too. Let's get your bags stored in the trunk and we'll be off."

To the driver's surprise, Emma, Wyatt, DG, Glitch, Snow and Charming loaded their own luggage themselves.

Snow and Charming nearly jumped out of their seats when the windows came down.

"I figured since this was your first time in Las Vegas you might want to enjoy the scenery during the ride," Barry said into the intercom.

"Thank you, that is very nice of you to do, Barry." Snow poked her head out the window as did her husband and Hook.

"Mom, are we going to go to some of these other casinos?" Henry asked.

"We certainly are. And there's a lot more to do here in Vegas than just going to the casinos."

"Yeah, kid," Emma agreed. "A lot of singers are starting to book long term concert dates here now. You may not know some of them, but their music is pretty good. You have to get tickets pretty early though. There's also comedy clubs and sports, even magic events."

"That sounds cool." Henry exclaimed.

"You managed to find all that out in the year you stayed here?" Regina inquired.

"Yeah. I got my first bail bond job here. I'm surprised you didn't know that already since you had me checked out." Emma laughed.

"It slipped my mind."

"I wonder if the others are in Miami yet," Charming mused.

"They should be," Regina replied.

"Well, folks here we are! Caesar's Palace!" Barry announced.

"Oh my God!" Snow exclaimed as she gazed up at the building with its elegant while columns and fountains with clear blue waters. "It does look like a palace!" She took out her phone and snapped a picture. "Come on, lets take a picture of all of us standing in front of it."

"I'll be happy to do that for you," Barry offered. Regina took her camera out of her purse and handed it to him while the group arranged themselves so that they would all be in the shot. "Okay everyone, say Viva, Las Vegas!"

"Viva Las Vegas!" they shouted as he snapped the picture.

They were booked into the Nobu Penthouse. It was a beautiful Japanese styled suite with a grand curved staircase, a second story terrace, stone hearth walls and the sofas were pure leather with berry and gold accents. There was a pool table, a 90 inch flatscreen TV, a private dining room, a minibar and the beds were made with Filo Doro linens. There were five bedrooms but they would only be occupying three as they were sharing them.

"Wow!" Emma gasped. "Regina, I don't even want to imagine what this is gonna cost you!"

"Oh, I'll win some of it back in the casino," she said confidently.

"Snow, we're able to go to a private pool, a fitness room and a spa!" Charming said as he read more about their accomodations on the brochure he spotted on one of the tables.

"I've always wanted to go to a spa," Snow murmured.

"So have I but I want to check out that fitness room too." Emma informed her.

"Why don't we take a day and go to the spa together...just the two of us?" her mother suggested.

"That sounds great."

"There's plenty for all of you to do besides go to the casinos."

"Trying to get rid of us so you can take all the booty, Regina?" Ambrose teased.

"Of course," she grinned.

"First things first, lets get unpacked. I'm a little tired so I think I'll take a nap before we head out." Snow said.

"I think I will too." David added.

"Ummm...Regina, do you have any plans for Henry at the moment or can he go with me to look around?" Emma inquired.

"You can take him out for a while. There's some people I'm meeting here for lunch," Regina replied.

"Well then, where do you want to go first?"

"I don't know Mom . Maybe we can go to the shops. I want to get stuff for Dad, Belle and Grandpa. I promised them I would."

"The shops it is then."

"Henry, you'll need this," Regina handed him a credit card with his name on it. "The shops are in the Forum and there are restaurants there so you can have lunch in between browsing. Don't worry about the limit. It's taken care of."

"Regina, you do realize handing the kid a credit card is like opening Fort Knox...right?"

"I spare no expense for my son, Ms. Swan."

"Thanks Mom!" Henry quickly stored the card in his wallet.

Snow and Charming retrieved their luggage and claimed their bedroom. Emma and Ambrose went to theirs while Regina took Henry to their room to help him unpack.

"Mom, are those people you met online gonna be the ones you're having lunch with."

"Yes. You'll meet them later once we go to the casinos but I had to tell them you're my...stepson because they'll see you as an adult while we'll see you as you really are."

"I don't mind as long as I get to play."

Regina chuckled. Henry sat down at the desk and pulled his laptop out of its case. "What are you doing, honey?"

"Me, Dad and Belle are doing a travel log on Facebook...you know, for everyone back home. I want to see if Dad got there yet. Can I borrow your camera so I can upload the picture Barry took?"

"Of course. It's a wonderful idea Henry." Regina retrieved her camera from her carryon bag and handed it to him. He connected it to the laptop, opened his Facebook page and began to compose an entry for the log.

_Hi everybody!_

_We just got here and this place is so cool! We're in a penthouse suite so we have a big screen TV, a pool table and we can go to a private pool and spa! Our driver took this picture of us standing outside the Hotel. It looks big outside but it's even bigger inside. Here's some pictures of opur penthouse I found on the website. I'll take my own later but this gives you an idea of how cool it is here! I'm going shopping with Emma. Grandpa and Grandma are taking a nap and Mom's meeting some friends for lunch. Will update later. Miss you all, especially Wendy. John and Michael. I'll bring you all something neat back. Check Dad and Belle's Facebook pages for their updates from Miami and I'll bring you mine every night. Gonna go shopping now but expect more details and pics tonight_ **!**

 

**Miami Beach, Florida**

**Summer 2013**

 

"You guys wait here while Tink and I get our stuff," Bae suggested to his father when they entered the terminal at the Miami airport.

"Bae, Belle and I are quite capable of.." his father protested.

"We insist," Tink said, leaving no room for argument.

"Oh, if you must." Rumple grumbled and led his wife over to a bench to wait. Belle spotted an information kiosk and walked over to it, picking up some brochures for them to look at.

"Rumple...this beach...it looks more beautiful than Storybrooke and why is it so warm this time of year?" she asked.

"Because, my sweetheart, we are in a different part of the country," he explained. "The farther south we go, the warmer it is, and Florida is actually like this all year round. Many people come here during the wintertime."

"I wouldn't want to. I enjoy winter."

He smiled. "You always did. I can't count the times you insisted on making me go with you for one of your walks while we lived in the Dark Castle or sit with you by the fireplace even when I was trying to work."

She chuckled. "Oh, look. Here is a brochure of where we're staying! Bae, is this what McDermott Manor looked like when you lived here?" she asked him when he and Tinkerbell returned with the luggage.

Baestudied the photograph. "Damn, Lanie wasn't kidding when she said the place expanded! When I worked there it was just one building. Now it says there are four."

"What did you do there, Bae?" Rumple inquired.

"Ummm...I was a bouncer. They have a private night club in the Oasis building and I worked the overnight shift. Mostly hauling out drunks," he said quickly and took out his phone to make a quick call. "Lanie? We just got here. Okay. Thanks. They're sending a limo here for us. Luckily I know the driver otherwise we'd have to look for someone waiting around with a card with our name on it."

"How far are we from the resort?"

"About twenty minutes but we can ask Jimmy to take the long way so you guys can do some sightseeing."

"That sounds wonderful," Belle murmured.

"Neal! Is that you?" a man called out.

"Jimmy Willis! Long time no see," Bae greeted the man and patted him on the back. "So you're the crazy bastard who married Lanie?"

"Guilty. This must be your dad. Hello. I'm Jimmy Willis," Jimmy said as he held his hand out for Rumple.

"Hello, Mr. Willis. Rumplestiltskin Gold. This is my wife Belle and Neal's friend Tink."

Rumple waited for the laughter to begin once he'd spoken his name but unlike the tart on the phone, her husband had better manners.

"Welcome to Miami Beach, Mr. Gold...Mrs. Gold...and Tink. I'll get your bags loaded and we'll be off."

"You mind taking the long way, Jimmy? My family hasn't been down south before."

"There's a lot for you to see then."

Rumple watched with a small smile as his wife snapped pictures of anything she deemed interesting. She and Neal were going to keep a travel log on Facebook while Henry chronicled their Vegas journey. He knew that trip was going to be filled with all sorts of tension and he didn't envy the boy one bit having to put up with it. His wife tugging on his arm interrupted his thoughts.

"Rumple, look at the water in the ocean...I've never seen water so blue!" she cried and snapped another picture. "It's perfect for our morning walks!"

His morning walks during the curse had been to collect the rent from his tenants. After the curse he'd had little time to go out to collect rent or simply for the exercise because there were Cora and Hook to deal with and his father who now had a place reserved for him in the deepest pit in hell and was rotting there along with his menacing sidekick Felix. Since his marriage however, he was able to resume his routine only having a companion made it far more enjoyable.

"I'd love to swim in the ocean," Tink confessed.

"Hon, you wouldn't have to. You can get drenched just standing there at high tide," Bae informed her. "I'm going to take you guys to all my old haunts. You'll love it. Of course, I won't keep you and Papa occupied all the time Belle. I know you want some time alone."

"Yes, but father and son time is important too," Belle reminded him.

Rumple couldn't have loved his wife any more than he did at that moment. She made it a point once she and his son got to know each other that she wouldn't demand all her husband's attention. She had enough love in her heart to share it among so many people.

"We're here! Welcome to McDermott Manor!" Jimmy announced.

The quartet stepped out of the car in front of a white moon shaped building with a gazebo and crystal blue fountain with a statue of Venus in front. Bae ushered his father and Belle over to the gazebo to pose for a picture. Belle rested her head on her husband's shoulder while he had his arm wrapped around her waist, both wearing the same loving smile on their lips.

"If that's not a couple with true love, I don't know what is," Tink mused aloud while trying to stop Hope from trying to escape her. "You couldn't have picked a better place for them."

"Your turn Bae," his father said.

"C'mon Tink." Bae took her arm and led her over to the fountain, picking her up.

"Bae!"

Bae winked at his father and before Tinkerbell even realized what was happening, she found herself being tossed into the fountain while Rumple took a picture.

"Bae, you jerk!" she cried as she pulled him in with her.

Several guests who were walking by paused and gazed over at the soaking wet former fairy laughing.

"It's been a long time since we've had a newlywed christening!" one of the women announced.

"Hey Papa? You thinking what I'm thinking?" Bae inquired.

Rumple smirked. It would hurt like hell to put so much weight on his leg but it would be worth it. Neal quickly turned the camera on record.

"Don't you dare...Rumple!" Belle cried as she felt herself being lifted into her husband's arms. He limped over to the fountain and dropped his bride in. "Ohhh...you are in trouble!"

Bae was laughing so much he could barely keep the camera straight but he'd managed to get a shot of his father dropping Belle into the fountain. As Rumple reached out his hand to his wife, she gripped his tightly and pulled him in with her while cameras went off around them.

"Double christening! This is a record!" one of them called out while the fountain's occupants climbed out, their clothes clinging to their bodies.

"Well, this should be an interesting check in...we look like drowned rats," Rumple muttered as they entered the hotel. When they approached the reception desk the woman seated behind it smiled.

"So Neal, you remembered the tradition," she said.

"What tradition?" Belle asked.

"We have a tradition here that couples bless their love by one dropping the other in the Fountain of Venus and then pulling their partner in with them. Welcome to McDermott Manor. I'm Melanie Willis but you can call me Lanie," she said as she stepped out from behind the desk and embraced Neal.

"Lanie, why are you at the front desk? You short handed?" Neal asked her.

"No. I work the front desk for a week every month. Come on. Let's get you out of those wet clothes and situated in your suites."

Rumple and Belle stood with mouthes agape as they gazed around the place where they would be staying. The suite was more like an apartment complete with its own kitchen, a wine refrigerator, a dining room with a table with room for eight. In the sitting room was a 60 inch television. There were two balconies, one on the first level and the second would be in their bedroom. The couple also had their own pool and spa, and a laundry room.

"With all this...we wouldn't need to leave the room," Belle whispered.

"I know when I got married, I didn't want to," Lanie joked. "I'll show you the bedroom," she said as she led them down the hall and thrust open the door. They glanced over at the king sized bed, covered with rose petals.

"That's another tradition of ours. Every bride deserves to sleep one night in a bed of roses."

"It's beautiful," Belle said breathlessly.

"I'll leave you two alone then. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you...Lanie."

Once the door closed behind her, Rumple took his wife into his arms. "Can't let these rose petals go to waste," he murmured as he lowered her onto the bed.

_Helloooooo Storybrooke!_

_Sorry, I got that from an old movie. We're here! The place has changed a bit since I've been here but the memories it brings back! First off, I'm posting some pics we took on the ride in. Tink is excited and so are my father and Belle. I can't wait to show them around. This place has it all...shops, clubs, restaurants. I'm going to take them to some of my old haunts._

_The funniest part started when we got there. There's a tradition at this place that couples bless their love by one dropping the other in the Fountain of Venus and then being pulled in themselves so here is a shot of me throwing Tink in and her dragging me in. Then as you can see from my video Papa got in the act and yes...there went Belle. She got him back though by making him go in with her. We all looked like drowned rats when we went to check in and we had an audience, so I think there's going to be more shots of us doing this all over the internet. Expect updates from me nightly. Belle's posting her own updates too so watch her page. And of course Henry is giving us the inside scoop on the gambling crew in Vegas. We plan on bringing things back for all our friends._

_Hello everyone,_

_We've arrived in Miami and it is so warm here and absolutely beautiful. Rumple says it stays like this all year around because they never have a winter. I wouldn't like that since I enjoy sitting in front of a warm fireplace during a cold winter's night sipping a cup of tea and reading my favorite novels. We are staying at a resort called McDermott Manor. Neal worked here years ago and is friends with the owner. Rumple and I have been given the honeymoon suite to stay in while Bae and Tink have their own room. Bae has already posted the pictures of our sightseeing on the way to the resort, but this picture is my favorite. This is a picture Neal took of Rumple and me standing on the gazebo in front of the main building of the resort._

_We weren't aware that there is a tradition of couples blessing their love by jumping or in my case being thrown into the Fountain of Venus. I was concerned because I knew it couldn't have been easy for Rumple to do but so romantic! And it was wonderful that Tink and Bal did this as well. I've posted some pictures of our suite and it is more like a little home for us away from home. I miss all of you back home and in Vegas but I couldn't be happier being here with the man I love, my stepson and hopefully future in-law._

"…The others should be settled in by now," Archie said when he pulled up to the front entrance of the hotel in their rental car. He turned off the engine and glanced in the rearview mirror to see his brother comforting his terrified wife.

"Archie, maybe we should find another hotel," Az suggested. "Look at Beth….she's scared to death!"

"I don't want to go back there! I don't!" she sobbed into her husband's shoulder.

"Why Mommy cryin?" Jasper asked his father.

"It's okay, Jasper. She's gonna be okay."

Archie's twins stared at her.

"Come on Sleeping Beauty…look at me…look at me!" David pleaded. "He can't hurt you anymore. He's dead. He's dead."

"But SHE can!"

"No, she can't. We have the Talisman Beth and we'll use it if we have to but there are three of us powerful enough to scare the pants off her."

"I never would've agreed to this if Bae…"

"He should've told his father everything before this!" David growled.

"Beth, we can find another hotel in town if you want," Archie said to his sister-in-law.

"You won't be able to," she sniffled. "It's summer." She took a tissue out of her purse and dabbed at her eyes. "I knew I'd have to face Channon sooner or later. I can't keep running away from it."

"You act like you're the one who did something wrong when it was Jamie who was in the wrong!" David protested.

"According to Channon I did. I left her brother and started seeing you."

"Because he was an abusive bastard! It's time that bitch knew he was no saint and she's not either!" He shook his head.

"David, it's your call. What do you want to do?"

"Archie if she goes, I go."

Beth got out of the car and picked up her son. "I'm tired of being afraid. You told me I need to confront my past and slam the door on it Archie and that is exactly what I'm going to do."

"Nothing can hurt us if we're together," Az murmured.

Lanie was back at the desk when the group arrived.

"Beth! Oh my God! I didn't know you were coming." She blinked her eyes.

"Relax Lanie, you are seeing double!" Beth giggled. "This is David's twin Archie and his wife Azkadellia."

"Hello," Az greeted warmly.

"I have rooms ready for you Mr. and Mrs. Ozopov but Beth…your old room is vacant if you want to use it. I didn't know you were coming, and we're booked up…"

She stiffened. "Fine. But I want my husband to check it before I go up there."

"Why?"

"I just do."

"Oh…ahhh…I don't think Channon will like that."

"She either lets me check it or I call the Miami Beach Police. It's her choice," David said angrily. "But I really don't think she wants them here, especially Detective Rivera."

"No, I'm sure it will be fine," Lanie said quickly.

"I'll have someone help me take our luggage to our room. Go with them," Az whispered to Archie. He nodded.

Leaving Az to get everything settled in their suite, Archie, David and Beth took the elevator to the third floor, off limits to guests as it was reserved for family members. As they approached the locked double doors at the end of the Archie gestured and they swung open.

"Stay out here," David instructed his wife and the brothers went inside. David approached the wall length mirror, took off his shirt and wrapped it around his hand.

"Oh no you don't!' Archie exclaimed. "I've got this." He summoned his umbrella and slammed it against the glass. The mirror shattered, revealing a secret room behind it. On the shelves were dozens of videotapes and DVDs.

"Burn it! Burn it all!" David growled.

"I don't have to burn it." Archie shook his head. "Were those all of…?"

"If he wasn't recording her, he was recording everyone else he brought back here. Sick bastard."

"I know you don't like me telling this, but we should turn these over to the police. They're evidence!"

"She did tell them, and they 'claimed' they searched the room, but someone must've cleaned the place out before they got here, or they were bought off. Now we need to find the cameras."

The two men began searching the room and removed three hidden video cameras. Archie waved his hand over them and burned them along with the stacks of videos. Beth leaned against the doorframe weeping softly.

"It's gonna be okay Sleeping Beauty."

"I've cleansed the room as much as I could Beth," Archie reassured her. "Unfortunately, I can't erase the memories. David, I've warded the room. Anyone tries to come in they'll be thrown to the other end of the hall. Are you sure you don't want to take our room downstairs?"

"We'll be fine Archie," Beth said softly.

"Any trouble you call for me. I mean it." he said and teleported out.

"I've got some dragons to slay in here Sleeping Beauty and I don't care how long it takes to do it," David murmured, swinging Beth up in his arms and carrying her over to the bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down to her with a kiss.

"I love you my Blue Knight…" she whispered.

And in the suite where she'd endured the final humiliating hours of her nightmarish second marriage, the man who was her third and final husband would create new memories for her, ones she would remember for the rest of her life.

An anxious Az was waiting for her husband when he returned to their suite.

"We should've switched rooms."

"There's no need to now." He smiled.

"I hope you're right," she said and turned on her laptop.

_Hello everyone!_

_Well, the Hopper hippies have finally arrived at McDermott Manor. It's a lovely place with plenty of things for the kids to do…and the grownups but we won't be doing much exploring today after that long trip. I'm sure Bae, Tink and Belle have already given you their updates but exect more from us in the coming weeks!_


	3. Royally Hung Over and Midnight At The Oasis

**Miami Beach, Florida**

**Summer, 2013**

Later that night Bae slipped out of his suite and walked down to the dock. As it had been years before, the entrance to the dock was secured by a gate that was only accessible through a keycard that only staff members and a select number of guests possessed. He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved the envelope Lanie mailed him before they arrived. When he opened it he found a keycard inside with his name on it. He swiped it on the scanner and the gate opened. Upon his entry, the guard emerged from the duty shack.

"Neal Cassidy! Son of a bitch, it's been what...eleven years? No one told me they rehired you."

"I'm just here on a vacation Brett. You mind giving me a ride over to the club. I want to say hello to the gang."

"You bet. They'll be glad to see you. You wait right here and I'll bring the boat up."

A few minutes later Brett drove up in a speedboat.

When Bae entered the main lobby of the Oasis he spotted several people performing late night housekeeping duties: vaccuming floors, wiping down tables, changing garbage. There were two women sitting in the lounge, one of them dressed in a schoolgirl's uniform while the other wore only a negligee.

"I'm getting tired of the naughty student game," the woman in the schoolgirl uniform complained. "I think I'm gonna have to tell him switch it up."

"That's what I like when I have appointments with Bill. He's not into the kinky stuff. Most of the time he doesn't even want to have sex...just talk until we both get tired and fall asleep," the other said.

"The naked volleyball tournament is this week. You playing? It'll give you more excitement than just spending the night talking."

"No, I suck at it."

"Rose? Brittany?" Bae called out. The two women turned their heads in his direction.

"Neal Cassidy!" they exclaimed and jumped off the sofa, nearly tackling him and they threw their arms around him. He laughed. "Rose, still doing the schoolgirl game I see."

"Getting bored with it now."

"Britt, how about you?"

"She's still got the Pretty Woman complex over Bill. If he hasn't married her by now, he's not gonna."

"Shut up Rose!" Brittany snapped. "What are you doing here? Are you coming back to work with us again?"

"No, I'm here on vacation with my father."

"You guys patched things up? That's a shock considering you said he cared more about being this big deal maker than you."

"He's changed now...just got married and he brought his wife for their honeymoon."

"Oh my God! Your dad is the sugar daddy in the honeymoon suite?" Rose exclaimed.

"What? Oh, he is not! Let me guess: Lanie's been spreading that crap all through the resort!" Bae grumbled.

"Okay so correct us if we're wrong. Is your dad not twenty years or more older than his pretty wife?"

"Ummm...yeah."

"And is he rich?"

"Yeah."

"I rest my case."

"Look, Papa is not Belle's sugar daddy. She really loves him," Bae insisted.

"Mmmm, heard he's not bad looking either."

"Forget it Rose. My father doesn't cheat on Belle. You can play with one of your clients."

"Damn because I wouldn't mind giving him a lap dance on the house."

"You could ask his wife," Brittany giggled.

"You two are sick. Get your minds out of the gutter although I know that's impossible since they're in them almost twenty-four hours a day!"

"We don't get paid good for being second rate," Rose declared proudly. "We're the best in the business and we really miss having our favorite protector around. Are you sure you don't wanna come back?"

"Yeah. Ummm...have you seen Alexis around. I want to talk to her, make sure she's okay."

Both women looked away.

"What?"

"She doesn't work here anymore." Rose replied.

"Did she get into singing like she said she would?"

"No...she's with Willie."

"Willie Roasch?! Is she insane? She knows what the man does. How could she...?"

"We don't know Neal. The last we heard she was turning tricks down on the strip and dancing in a couple of his clubs. He's gotten more powerful now Neal and the vice cops haven't been able to touch him. Rivera, Womack and Morgan are really out to fry his ass since he was one of their own."

"Yeah, The Three Stooges really go all out when they've got it in for someone. They still trying to get Channon too?"

"They can try but she has too many people in her pocket."

"I have to find her," Bae insisted.

"Neal, you go up against Roasch and you'll end up in a body bag. You know that." Brittany cautioned.

"I don't care. Alexis deserves better than that," Bae said firmly.

Brittany smiled. "Still trying to save all us lost girls, aren't you?"

"I know what it's like not to have a home."

Brittany took his hand in hers. "People look down on us for what we do but we're treated great here. The girls on the strip aren't always so lucky. Most of them end up on drugs, beaten up all the time or left for dead. And we know that when we go to our appointments, we have great guys looking out for us if a customer gets out of hand. You were the best of them, Neal. It's why Alexis loved you..."

When Bae first arrived in Miami, he thought he'd never be able to love anyone like he loved Emma. He wasn't even planning on it until he started working at McDermott Manor. His original job was housekeeping but one night while he was cleaning the hallway, he heard a terrified scream in one of the bedrooms. He threw his weight against the door and found a young woman huddled in the corner while a man stood over her with a belt in his hand. Bae subdued the man just as the on duty security guards rushed into the room.

"What's going on, Lexie?" one of them asked the frightened woman.

"T...Tell Channon not to let him come here anymore," she pleaded.

"You were enjoying it bitch," the man sneered.

"Not from what I heard," Bae growled.

"What're you so concerned for? She's a whore! They're paid to take what I give them!"

"We have rules about what our customers are not supposed to do and ye've just broken one of them," Channon McDermott said icily from the doorway, having been alerted to the situation by the other guard. "Get him out of here and make sure that he understands that NO ONE messes with my girls!"

"Are you okay?" Bae inquired of the frightened woman as he pulled a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her.

"T...Thank you," she murmured.

"Neal, please take Alexis down to the infirmary."

"You mind telling me why you never mentioned this is a brothel?" he demanded angrily.

"Ye werenae ready to know," was her calm reply. "We'll discuss this later. My only concern is Alexis right now."

Bae lifted the woman into his arms and carried her out of the room.

"Why do you do this? You're beautiful enough that you can be anything you want to be?"

"This place is the only home I've had since I was eighteen and Channon takes good care of me. She takes good care of all of us. We'd be nothing more than rats on the street if not for her. We don't just take customers. A lot of us have legitimate jobs in the hotel too."

In many ways Channon's girls reminded him of the Lost Boys, which he himself had been at one point. A few days later he was called into Channon's office.

"I know ye may nae approve of what we do here Neal, but I owe ye thanks for what ye've done. Had ye not been there I dinna want to think about what would've happened to Alexis. That man passed our client screening which was why I didn't think Alexis would've been in any danger, but we can't avoid a mistake like that again. I'm going to start assigning an escort to all my girls and Alexis seems to like you. Ye will be responsible for taking her to her appointments and making sure she returns safely. She will be given a security pendant she can activate to call ye if she needs help. Use your best judgment if ye have to intervene on a session with a customer. If Alexis doensa have an appointment scheduled I will assign ye another girl but the same rules apply. My girls' lives are in ye hands."

"I won't let them down." he promised.

On the nights when he didn't have to escort one of the girls to an appointment he would go down to the strip and looked at the other girls, remembering a time when he'd been on the streets like they were, hating his father for breaking their deal. Had he been a girl, this was probably where he would be...wearing tattered clothes and selling his only asset for money to live on. One night while he was on the strip, he encountered a beautiful young woman dressed in a blue miniskirt and black tank top smoking a cigarette.

"Hi."

"Hi. Looking for a date?" she asked.

"Umm...yeah I guess you can say I am," he answered.

She smiled. "Then what do you say we move this conversation to a more appropriate place?"

"That sounds fine to me." he said.

She led him to a motel that looked more like the hovel he and his father lived in before Rumple turned into the Dark One. Like other girls he encountered on the strip, he would let them make their offer first before he countered with one of his own, to work in the finest house in Florida.

"My usual rate is thirty bucks an hour and I've got a few ground rules. One: no kissing. Two: no kinky shit just straight up sex. It'll cost you thirty up front for the first hour. We got a deal?"

For a moment she sounded like his father and he cringed. He reached into his wallet to get the money. Once he handed it to her, she reached into her pocket and brought out a set of handcuffs, clapping them on his wrists.

"You're under arrest," she declared and started citing off his rights while she opened the door to let a male officer in.

"He's a new one Julie," he chuckled.

"Look, this is all a misunderstanding," Bae protested.

"I think not. We've been watching you for a while. The question is: who are you procuring for? Channon McDermott or Willie Roasch?"

"I'm not saying another word!" Bae hissed.

"We'll continue this discussion down at the station, cutie."

As they were leading him out another female officer walked up, also dressed like a prostitute. She looked him over, smiling in appreciation. "Wow, Julie, this is the best looking catch we've had all day."

"Thanks Vicki."

That night he'd gotten his unwanted crash course in dealing with the Miami Beach police's vice squad and the three officers every prostitute, john and drug dealer tried their best to avoid: Diego Rivera, Julianne Womack and Victoria Norris. He nicknamed them the Three Stooges. But his tangos with the vice squad hadn't taken as much of a toll on his heart as Alexis's unwillingness to let their relationship go any farther than friendship.

_I fell into Tamara's trap because she looked and acted so much like Lexie and how I wanted things to be with her. It's probably how Pan planned it. He had to have known about her and used her to get us into Neverland. He knew everything else, the bastard._

Although he loved Tink, he knew he would never be able to leave Miami without seeing Alexis and if he could, he was going to find a way to free her and help her find a home where she belonged, even if it wasn't with him.

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

**Summer 2013**

"Welcome to Las Vegas Regina!" a group of people greeted the former Queen as they stood around a large table on the terrace at the Empress Court Restaurant. She smiled, feeling once again like a queen only these subjects respected her, and it didn't matter that they knew nothing about her past nor would they. To them she was just the mayor of a small town in Maine who had inherited a great fortune.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Where's your stepson? We're looking forward to meeting him?"

"Well, he's shopping with our other friends. Don't worry, he'll be hitting the casinos with us tonight," she assured them. "Jared, you told me in our last chat that you have a bit of a routine."

"We usually meet up for dinner around six, go to the casino from eight til one AM then go to the clubs. We're not back in our rooms til five but if anyone needs to slip out early, that's fine."

"It sounds like fun."

She hadn't had much time for a social life since the curse was cast. She had a town to manage, a son to raise, deal with the nauseating Charmings and help keep youth obsessed, body stealing, heart ripping lunatics like Rumple's father away from their little paradise. The change would do her good.

The group spent the rest of their lunch discussing their gambling strategies. Regina had been known to engage in a poker game or two back in the Enchanted Forest having learned the game by watching Snow's father play then asking him to teach her. It was one of the few things she'd been able to enjoy doing with her husband and she enjoyed it even more when she beat also played Blackjack, roulette and craps but Henry won more than she did at the dice.

Several of the women asked Regina to accompany them while they browsed the forum shops. While she was in Cartier, she brought a new watch for Henry with a special inscription that she planned to give to him once they returned home. While she was in Christian Dior, she bought Tinkerbell a green satin dress. The reinstated fairy still held onto her belief that Regina's true love was still possible, but Regina had given the other half of her heart to her son and felt there was no room in it for anyone else. Yet despite that small difference in opinion, Regina still considered her a friend. She even picked out items for Snow, Emma, Charming, Bae and Rumbelle as she called Rumple and his wife since they were basically attached at the hip nowadays.

When she returned to the penthouse, she dropped her bags on the floor in horror at the sight that met her eyes on the sofa.

"Excuse me!" she barked at the naked couple entwined. They quickly broke apart and made a pathetic attempt to cover themselves.

"Regina! Uhhh...we...uhhh didn't think you'd be back for a while," Charming nervously.

"I wish I hadn't been. Good God, couldn't you two do that in the bedroom? What if Emma and Henry walked in? Do you want to scar my son for life? Get dressed because I do not want to ruin anymore of this fine decor by vomiting on it. You, on the other hand, better make a call to housekeeping! I want that sofa fumigated before anyone sits on it again!"

"We're sorry Regina."

"Oh, I just bet you are Snow. I...oh God!" she moaned as she caught sight of David's front as he and Snow scurried off to their bedroom. "I'm going to go blind.."

"...Mom do you think Grandpa will like this?" Henry asked as he held up a brown leather briefcase while they were browsing in Louis Vuitton.

"I think so. It would be easier for him to store all his papers in instead of those huge trunks." Suddenly Emma's phone vibrated with a text message.

_Do not sit on the sofa in the living room until further notice. It needs fumigated. And I would appreciate it if you would tell your parents that it is not their bedroom either._

"Oh my God!" she giggled.

"What's so funny?" Henry demanded.

"Ummmm...Regina just sent me a funny text."

"Oh, did she have fun meeting her friends?"

"You can ask her once we get back, okay kid?"

"Yeah."

While she waited for Henry to finish paying for his purchases she typed in a reply to Regina.

_Better you getting scarred this time than me._

They decided to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Henry ordered pizza, Emma ordered a Southwest Chicken Sandwich and both had strawberry smoothies to drink.

"Oh...I'm not gonna be able to walk now," Emma groaned after eating. "Wait...Henry, put the card away. I'm buying!" she protested.

"But Mom!"

"No buts. I'm buying," she insisted.

Emma took one look at the sofa in the living room as soon as they got back, laughing hysterically while her parents blushed and Regina was giving them looks that would kill.

"Don't ever let me see you doing that Ms. Swan," she warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it. It was horrifying enough for me."

"None of you are going to let us live this down, are you?" Snow demanded.

"No. And," Regina added. "Since you're well...rested you should go out and find something to do but I want that call made to housekeeping...Henry don't sit there!" she cried out just as her son was about to sit down on the now infamous sofa

"Umm...why?"

"Well...ahh...there's a spill on it that we need to get cleaned up," she said quickly. "Call housekeeping...NOW!" she barked at the Charmings.

"All right!" Snow grumbled. "He used a condom for Heaven's sake," she muttered under her breath as she started dialing the number on the room phone. It wasn't easy coming up with a lie that would explain why the sofa would need cleaned but somehow she managed it.

"Let's go Charming," she said as she grabbed her husband's arm and fled the room before they were humiliated any further.

"I'm planning on going to the casinos around eight," Regina announced to her three remaining roommates.

"That's fine with us. It's been a while since I've been in a real casino but never got the chance to play," Emma said.

"Henry, my friends want to meet you and we're meeting for dinner at six."

"That's awesome, Mom. Where at?"

"The Old Homestead Steakhouse."

"I think I'd like to go there too. What about you?"

"Sounds good to me Henry."

"Why don't you show me all the things you bought Henry. It looks like you almost brought back the whole store," Regina teased.

Snow and Charming started their own trip off by buying gifts for their friends and family. They didn't discuss the sofa incident, preferring to simply forget about it but they both knew it was going to be the source of blackmail material for everyone, especially Regina in the years to come.

While they were having lunch, Charming was pulling up show schedules and ticket information on his phone. They both wanted to see the comedian Jeff Dunham and ordered tickets to his show along with ordering another set to a Shania Twain concert.

"We got lucky with Jeff Dunham's tickets. Only two seats left," he said.

"Where's he going to be at?"

"He and Shania will be at The Colosseum."

"Can you see if we can get tickets to the Celine Dion show? I heard she's great out here."

"Yep...got em. We're not going to spend much time in the casinos if we're going to shows almost every night."

"I don't want to unless I win big."

Snow received several texts from Emma during their outing, the last one asking them to meet her at the Old Homestead Steakhouse for dinner. Snow sent back a reply telling her that she booked a day at the spa for herself and Emma the following morning just as she promised she would, and it would be Charming's turn to spend the afternoon with Henry.

Henry was nervous as he and Regina walked into the Old Homestead Steakhouse later that evening.

"Mom, what if the spell wears off?"

"It won't sweetie. You'll do fine. And when they ask you why you don't drink alcohol, what are you going to tell them?" she quizzed.

"I'm allergic to some of it," he recited.

"That's my little prince," she said proudly.

Henry was pleased to see his mother having such a good time with her new friends. He knew she hardly had any in Storybrooke because most of them still saw her as the Evil Queen but he knew she'd changed for him and he loved her all the more for it. She still had a devious side to her that she let out only in a joking manner, dealing with his grandparents and parents being the only exceptions.

When they got to the casino, they sat at slot machines that were beside each other.

"I'm having a great time Mom. Thanks for bringing me," he said softly.

"I'd do anything for you, Henry. You are my life," Regina murmured. "And the other half of my heart belongs to you and no one else."

He smiled because he knew that she meant it literally. He pressed his hand against his chest where part of her heart's essence rested along with a portion of his grandfather's while other pieces of his were inside his birth parents, the Charmings and even Belle, giving him the ability to call on them if he needed them across time and distance and they would be able to call on him if he needed them. It was the ultimate form of true love and blood magic, even stronger than true love's kiss. It was how his mother and grandfather had finally been able to conquer the darkness inside them and defeat Pan once and for all.

"Mom! Look!" he cried as he pointed at his slot machine. Regina grinned.

"You're off to a good start."

She however, wasn't. It was time to increase her bet.

When her luck at the casinos had taken a turn for the worst Regina and the other members of the high roller club decided to take their party to the nightclubs while the others went back to the suite. When she rolled in around five AM she was not surprised to find that Wyatt was awake.

"Long night?" he asked.

"Had a goooood time..." she slurred. "No Peter Pan, no idiots, no Emma...no you!"

"You're not going to be so cheerful later. Trust me."

"Yeah."

"You really should get to bed and sleep it off."

"Y'know...I told Tink I didn't want anyone else in my life but Henry but sometimes...sometimes I miss having a man in my bed. I had one during the curse but that bitch Emma took him away from me...and I had to kill him," she moaned. "What the hell is sooo special about her and that idiot mother of hers that all the men want her and noone wants meeeeee..."

"Regina, come on. Let's get you into bed." Wyatt draped her arm over his shoulders and led her up the stairs to her bedroom. She pressed herself against him, alternating between laughing and crying at the same time.

"You smell good," she murmured, nuzzling his neck. "But you're with a girl old enough to be your daughter and I hate her. I hate her! What's so damned special about her, huh? She that good in bed? I bet you are." Her hands squeezed his backside cheeks.

"Regina, keep your voice down. You don't want to wake Henry."

"Take me to one of the empty rooms...don't want him to see me like this," she pleaded.

It was a difficult trek when Regina was barely able to stand but he finally managed to get her settled into one of the extra bedrooms. She was going to have one hell of a hangover when she woke up later but that didn't bother him as much as what she'd said under the influence and tried to do.

"Come on…just one time…DG will never know."

"Regina, just go to sleep!" he pleaded.

"I don't wanna go to sleep. I wanna get laid…c'mon….." she moaned and pulled him down to her.

"Yo, Queenie, get the hands OFF my Tin Man or lose them!" DG growled from the doorway.

"Dottie, she's drunk…" Wyatt began but his wife would hear none of it. She gestured and Regina was yanked out of the bed and flew across the room into the bathroom.

"I'll sober you up real quick, bitch!"

"Waaa," Regina moaned as DG pushed her head down into the toilet bowl.

"Dottie!" Wyatt yelled.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Emma shuffled into the room and turned on the lights, her sleepy parents and Ambrose behind her.

Regina reached up and flushed the toilet.

"Biiicchhh," she slurred. "You…you gave me…a shwilry!"

She threw herself at the younger girl.

"Will you guys knock it off before security comes up here! Cain! Don't just stand there, do something with your freakin wife!" Emma barked.

"Dottie, get over here…dammit you get over here! Charming! Glitch, don't YOU just stand there. Help me restrain these two cats!"

"Immma Immma gonna curse you…."

"Can't curse me any worse than I already have been so bring it!"

"Oh no you don't!" Wyatt grabbed his wife while Emma restrained a barely coherent Regina. "Emma get Regina to bed. Dottie, you're going to our room and staying there!"

"What am I, two years old?"

"You're acting like it. Go!"

"Fine but the bitch asked for it," she snapped and went upstairs to their room, slamming the door behind her.

"Didn't I say this was gonna be hell? Didn't I?" Snow demanded.

"Oh knock it off," Charming groaned. "I'll cook breakfast. Emma, can you put Regina to bed before Henry wakes up."

"Yeah. You wanna help, Ambrose?"

"Ah why not! This is the most fun I've had in weeks."

"Zip it, Zipperhead," Wyatt grumbled. Ambrose flipped him off when his back was turned.

"Where's Mom? She wasn't in our room." Henry asked when he came downstairs a short time later

"She's uhhhh...not feeling well so she decided to sleep in one of the other rooms til she gets better, okay?" Snow lied.

"She's gonna be having lots of dates with the Oval Office today," Emma joked.

"Emma!"

"What's the Oval Office, Mom?"

"The toilet."

"Oh...okay," he muttered, deciding he didn't want to pursue the matter any further. Instead he opened up his laptop, plugged in his camera and started posting about the previous night's events on his Facebook page since he'd been so excited playing the slots that he'd forgotten.

_Hi everybody,_

_Yesterday was a busy day so I forgot to update. We met up with the friends Mom has on Facebook and they're all really nice plus they gave us lots of tips when we went to play the machines. I've been having lots of luck but Mom hasn't. I spent most of the day shopping with Mom Emma. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and believe me they have more than just cheesecake! I picked up a lot of great gifts for everyone. Today I get to spend the day with and Grandpa Charming. I hope Dad, Archie, Beth, Az David, Tink, Belle and Grandpa Rumple are having a good time in Miami. Here are some pics of our day. See you all soon!_

Later that afternoon Snow and Emma headed off to the spa.

"I think I've died and gone to Heaven," Emma murmured.

"Me too," Snow sighed.

They lay on tables side by side while their bodies were being massaged into relaxation with oils scented with rosemary for Snow and vanilla for Emma. "We should really have one of these places in Storybrooke. I'd go every day if I felt this good afterwards."

"We're getting the works today honey," Snow said with a smile.

"This is gonna cost you a fortune!" Emma cried.

"I don't care. It's worth it knowing that we can actually spend some time together without having to worry about anything."

From the moment she'd remembered the truth about her past, Emma still had trouble separating the new best friend she had with Snow being her mother. It was impossible not to since they looked the same age. Snow was trying in every way she knew possible to help her daughter see her as the mother she'd always wanted to be to her child and spending time alone together without the worries that plagued them living in a town with magic and more heroes and villains than a blockbuster movie. There weren't as many villains now yet the threat was always there. Both women were feeling relaxed and refreshed when they left the spa and decided to go to Mesa Grill for lunch.

"What do you think our boys are up to?" Emma inquired.

"David said something about taking them to the golf course."

"Golf's a pretty boring spot. Did you guys find any shows to go to?"

"We have tickets for Jeff Dunham, Shania Twain and Celine Dion."

"Jeff Dunham I'd go to see, He's hilarious, especially when he brings out the dead terrorist...I keellllllll you!" Emma mimicked. Snow giggled.

"Oh my God...I nearly had my drink come out my nose!"

"Are there any tickets left?" Emma asked hopefully.

"No, David and I got the last two but...I'll tell you what. Why don't you and I go instead of me and him? I'm sure he won't mind. We can try to catch his show together if he comes around our neck of the woods again."

"Really?" Emma asked hopefully.

Snow took out her phone and started texting her husband. She smiled when she saw his reply.

"I told you he wouldn't mind. He said he'll do something with Wyatt and Ambrose that night."

"Great! I love Jeff Dunham!"

 _I'm in hell_ , Regina thought when she finally had the strength to get out of bed later in the evening.  _No more of that for me._

DG had cooled down by the time she'd awakened and they were on speaking terms again, thankfully but she now knew not to invoke the wrath of a fellow Guardian or Ozian shapeshifter again.

"Hi Mom! Are you feeling better?" Henry asked when he and David returned to the suite.

"Yes, honey but I don't think I'm quite up to going to the casino tonight. What did you do today?"

"Grandpa took me to the golf course."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. I beat him," he said proudly.

"We can take you down to the casino tonight Henry," Charming offered.

"Cool."

Emma and Snow returned an hour later, their arms loaded with bags from various stores around the casino.

"Looks like you two were busy."

"Umm, thanks for giving me your ticket for the Jeff Dunham show." Emma said to her father.

"Not a problem. You never told me you love his show."

"Oh, I do. I laugh my ass off every time I pull up Jeff's stuff on You Tube."

"You girls going to the casinos with us?"

"Yeah. I need to win back some of my money," Emma replied.

"You want us to get you anything while we're gone, Mom?" Henry asked Regina.

"No, I'll be fine," she assured him.

Once everyone left the suite, she called room service and ordered some apple cider and sat back on the sofa. She reached into her chest and pulled out her heart, stunned to see that the half that was only hers was no longer as black as it had been before. She found herself thinking back to that night years ago when she and Tink stood outside a pub where Tink claimed her true love was inside, a man with a lion tattoo. And Robin was that man….only he still grieved the loss of his Marian.

She'd already given most of her heart to her son and didn't believe the spell would work a second time yet she wanted to try anyway. She closed her eyes and waved her hand over her heart. When she opened them again, she was stunned to see that unlike before, her heart was now divided into three pieces instead of two. The one that was merged with Henry's settled back into place while the third hovered above her. She caught it in her hand. "The man with the lion tattoo," she whispered and released her hand to allow it to take flight then returned her heart to her chest. All she could do now was wait for it to return to her merged with a piece of his or she would once again have a hole in her heart that would never be filled.


	4. Casa Miranda

**Summer 2013**

 

Belle opened her eyes, the delicious aroma of eggs, bacon, pancakes covered in maple syrup and French toast seducing her senses. She pulled on her robe and went downstairs to the kitchen to find her husband in the dining room, setting up the table for breakfast for four, a blue apron saying Mr Good Lookin' Is Cookin' tied around his waist to prevent any spills on his silk pajamas. The apron had been a gag gift from Bae and Tink for his birthday and he'd been a bit embarrassed about it but his wife thought it suited him.

 

"Why didn't you wake me? I could've helped," she said as she kissed him.

 

"Didn't have the heart to."

 

"Oh God...I'm drooling," Bae moaned when he walked into the suite with Tink behind him. "Papa, there's only four of us and you cooked enough food for an army! You have a big appetite this morning or what?"

 

"No, but when was the last time you and I had breakfast together?"

 

"A long time," his son answered. "You're going to love this Tink. Papa's a great cook."

 

"What are we doing today?" Belle asked.

 

"Since you and Tink are excited about the beach, we'll go down there first unless you and Papa have plans of your own?"

 

"No, we'll spend today together," his father said.

 

"But Papa, you need some new clothes. You can't go to the beach dressed like you just walked out of the New York Stock Exchange," Neal pointed out.

 

"I'm well aware of that Bae, it's just that I haven't dressed informally in...centuries."

 

"It's a good time to start."

 

Rumple tugged at the collar of the new t-shirt his son gave him feeling like he had a noose around his neck. And the shorts he was wearing showed more of his legs that he would have liked but his only consolation was that his wife didn't mind. Clasping her hand in his, he followed his son and Tinkerbell down the street to the entrance to the beach. Since it was still early there were only a few other people on the beach.

 

"Seashells!" Belle exclaimed and knelt to pick up one. "Someone suggested we bring some back. Can you hand me my bag, Rumple?"

 

"A lot of them are broken," he observed. "You'll want to pick up ones that are fully formed, sweetheart. Why don't we go a little bit further down the shore?"

 

“Daddy, I find one!” Hope pointed to a large white shell in the sand.

 

“Hope, it’s perfect!” Belle cried and added it to her pile in the bucket.

 

While his father, sister and stepmother browsed for seashells, Bae took Tink down to the water and waded in, turning his cellphone's camera on. "Me and Tink are down here in the water. We're just standing in it and it's already up around our waists and we're not that far from the shore," he narrated. "It's about...ummm...eight in the morning and already around 83 degrees." He turned the camera around. "And here's Tink."

 

"Hello everybody. I hope you're keeping warm up there. We just checked the weather for Maine and it says you're supposed to get some snow. Belle may love winter but I sure don't. I could live in weather like this all year around."

 

A large wave rose and washed over them, knocking Bae to the ground, his cellphone flying out of his hand and landing on the dry sand above them. He laughed.

 

"Are you okay?" Tink asked as she helped him to his feet.

 

"Yeah." He picked up his phone again and restarted the camera. "Just got knocked on my ass by a good wave. And there are Papa, Hope and Belle going for their morning walk. Looks like they’re collecting shells. Yeah, that's Papa you're seeing without a suit on. Papa, Belle, over here!" he called out.

 

"Bae, what happened to you?" his father asked when they approached.

 

"Wave knocked me on my ass. Come on and stand in the water."

 

"In this?" Rumple gestured toward his clothing.

 

"Yeah. C'mon."

 

"Come on Rumple," Belle urged, taking his hand and leading him into the water where his son and Tinkerbell stood. Neal turned the camera on him.

 

"Say hello to everybody."

 

"What? Are you recording this?" he asked nervously.

 

"Yeah. C'mon Papa."

 

"Umm...hello everyone," he muttered.

 

"Hello everyone!" Belle greeted warmly. "We've just finished a walk along the beach and I've picked up some beautiful seashells and right now we're actually standing in the ocean and it is nice and cool. I'm so glad we came here."

 

“Hiiii!” Hope waved.

 

“We thought we’d find you out here!” Archie called out when he and his brother arrived with their wives and children.

 

“Asper, Amber, Andy…lookit! I got shells!”

 

“Me an mommy make stuff outta our shells, huh, Mommy?” Amber asked her mother.

 

“We certainly do.”

 

The beach started getting crowded as the morning went on. Rumple set up lounge chairs with umbrellas for himself, Hope  and Belle while Bae and Tink lay on a blanket. Archie and David set up their blankets and umbrellas beside them.

 

"You two should put on some sunscreen," Rumple cautioned his son and Tink.

 

"I'm good Papa. I tanned easily here."

 

"I should be fine too. I did live in a jungle for a long time." Tink assured him.

 

"They can't say I didn't warn them," Rumple muttered under his breath to his wife. She giggled from behind her book. Rumple glanced at the front cover and snatched it away from her.

 

"Give that back!" she cried.

 

"Ahh, now who was complaining not too long ago that she was frustrated with her reading club for wanting to make trashy novels the topic of discussion?" he teased as he opened the book to the place where she was reading, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Do they have to spell out what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms...or in this case everywhere else but? Is this writer a voyeur?"

 

“Bertrice Small,” Beth giggled. “I had those books hidden under my bed when I was a teenager. “Let me guess, Ruby got you reading them.”

 

"Oh, what? Look at what you're reading. Filled with nothing but murder and mayhem!" Belle pointed to Rumple’s book.

 

"Reminds me of the old days," he said with an evil grin.

 

“The Godfather? Yeah that would be you!” Archie chuckled. “What are you reading, David?” He pointed to a sheaf of papers his brother held in his hands.

 

“Something Beth’s been working on.”

 

“Beth! You’re writing again!” Az cried.

 

She nodded. “I’m writing about David and me…disguised as fiction of course.”

 

“Mommy, wanna go in the water again!” Hope wailed.

 

“We’ll take her,” Az offered. “Come on kids! We can look for shells along the way.”

 

“Let me know what you think,” Beth said to her husband. He nodded.

 

“Have a good time.”

 

Belle picked up Rumple’s book and swatted him with it.

 

“Hey Mommy, you not ‘sposed to hit daddy wif book! Bad!” Hope shook her finger at her mother.

 

Bae and Tink watched the exchange between the other couple laughing.

 

"Your father is a maze of contradictions. Once he was the most feared sorcerer in all the known lands, now he insists on dressing like a stockbroker and gets upset when his wife reads sexy romance novels when I thought he would have some women falling at his feet." David said.

 

"He's only been involved with three women in his lifetime: my mother, Cora, and Belle but Belle's the best of them. She's turned him back into the man I remembered before it all went to hell," Bae confessed. "Better flip over Tink. You don't want to stay on one side too long or you'll be hearing Papa say I told you so when you get sunburned."

 

“Hello everybody!” Archie was saying into his cellphone while he pointed the camera at his family. “There’s Dellia and the kids looking for shells and….hold on a minute.” He walked further down the beach to where David and Beth were standing. He pointed the camera to the ground where the couple had written their names inside a heart.

 

“Daddy I wanna write in the sand!”

 

“Go ahead Jasper.”

 

“I guess you’re doin the video diary?”

 

“Yes, so look into the camera and smile little brother!”

 

“Oh, come on Archie! I’m only younger than you by what…an hour or so!”

 

Beth picked Jasper up and they waved. “Say hi, Jasper!”

 

“Hiiiii!”

 

“Daddy, look! Somebody left a buncha trash on the beach!” Andy complained, holding up his bucket. There were empty soda bottles and snack bags in it. “I cleaned it all up.”

 

Archie ruffled his son’s hair. “Good boy.”

 

Beth and David left the hotel on an errand while Jasper spent the rest of the day with his aunt and uncle.

 

Several hours later when they returned to the hotel to change for dinner Rumple took one look at Tinkerbell when she entered their suite and scowled. "Not going to get a sunburn, eh, dearie? You look like a fried lobster."

 

"Very funny Rumple," she grumbled.

 

“Fwied lobster!” Hope giggled.

 

 

"Maybe next time you'll listen?"

 

"Yes, now what am I supposed to do about this without magic? It burns and hurts like hell!"

 

"When we used to spend too much time in the sun in Avonlea my mother used to soothe it with aloe plants," Belle suggested.

 

"I used to use vinegar." Rumple "I don't know how he tans now but when Bae was younger, he'd burn like the devil because he spent so much time outdoors."

 

"No! Not the vinegar!" Bae cried. "I hated that and what made it worse was my friends made fun of me because I stank. I'm going to the store to get you some aloe cream Tink. Papa, don't you dare break out the vinegar or we're taking off!"

 

"I've got plenty here. Use it in my homemade dressing."

 

"Let's go Tink. Bae grabbed her arm.

 

She screeched as his hands touched the burned part. She nearly kicked him with her foot. "Do that again and I will kill you when we get back here!"

 

Although everyone loved Rumple's cooking Bae wanted them all to have dinner in the resort's restaurant and lounge. Archie and Az offered to watch Hope for them for the evening and Belle was able to order the hamburger she'd been craving since they left Storybrooke. Rumple watched with stunned silence as she listed off the toppings she wanted on it. They were not what she usually ordered.

 

"Let me read this back so I'm sure I have it all...double patty, mozzerella cheese, provolone cheese, marinara sauce, pickles, red onions, green peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapenos?" the waitress asked.

 

"Yes. Oh..and could you add mild pepper rings too please? I'll have some fries with nacho cheese and chili as well."

 

"Jesus, Belle! My stomach's turning thinking about it!" Bae exclaimed.

 

"Sweetheart, are you feeling all right?" Rumple inquired worriedly.

 

"I don't know why everyone's making such a fuss. I'm just hungry...that's all!" Belle protested. "

 

"We'll be making a trip to the pharmacy after dinner."

 

"You're gonna need a big bottle of Pepto Bismol and some antacids, Papa."

 

Rumple had his suspicions about what was the source of Belle's overeating and odd cravings as of late but only a test would confirm it. He didn't know how she managed it, but she ate all of her multi-topping double cheeseburger and chili cheese fries while he, Tink and Bae were still struggling to find room for what was on their plates. As he was trying to finish the last of his dinner, he cringed when he heard a high pitched, out of tune voice on the stage above them singing.

 

"What is that atrocious noise that someone thinks is singing?" he hissed.

 

"It's karaoke night, Papa. Random people go up on stage and try to sing their favorite songs," Bae explained. "It's fun."

 

"It sounds more like an animal being skinned," Rumple whispered to Belle. She swatted him again. "Can't someone drag him off that stage and put him out of his misery? I'd gladly offer but alas...no magic here."

 

"I have to agree with your father on this one, Bae. That man is bloody awful!" Tink complained and began tearing pieces of her paper napkin to stuff in her ears.

 

"My turn," Bae said as he got out of his seat and walked onto the stage. "Andre, can you play 'Sharp Dressed Man' for me please?" he asked the deejay.

 

"Sure can!" Andre replied.

 

Bae smiled and moved toward the front of the stage and glanced down at his father and Belle. "I'd like to dedicate this song to my father. If you know the words, sing along with me...especially the ladies. You should know when," he added with a wink. "And forgive me if I don't sound like ZZ Top but I'm gonna try!"

 

"Bae, what are you doing?" Rumple asked nervously.

 

"I don't know but I'm getting the phone ready to record it," Tink said as she reached into her purse and set her phone to record as Neal started singing the first verse of the song when he came down from the stage holding the microphone while he stood in front of his father.

 

" _Clean shirt, new shoes_

_And I don't know where I am goin' to._

_Silk suit, black tie,_

_I don't need a reason why._

_They come runnin' just as fast as they can_

_Coz.."_ he shouted out and pointed at the women in the audience

 

" _Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man_!" they all sang back and cheered as they pointed at Rumple, the only man in the room wearing a three piece suit. Belle buried her face in her husband's shoulder and giggled while he looked like he wanted to crawl under the table, but the torture was not yet over. Bae launched into the second and third verses, changing the third when it came to the final lines, standing behind Belle as he did so.

 

" _Looking sharp, looking for love_

_She comes running just as fast as she can...coz.._?." he handed the microphone to Belle.

 

"I'm a girl crazy bout my sharp dressed man!" she sang as she hopped onto her husband's lap, cupped his face in her hands and kissed him amongst a barrage of catcalls and wolf whistles from the other patrons of the club.

 

"He's older than dirt and she's fucking hot. Lucky son of a bitch!" a man yelled enviously.

 

"Whooo Hooo...you get him, honey!" one of the women encouraged.

 

Tink was clutching her belly as she laughed. "I can't believe you did that, Bae! Your father is going to kill you!"

 

"He's got his hands too full at the moment," Bae said indicating his father and Belle whose make out session was getting a bit heated.

 

"Let's go up to bed," Belle whispered as they broke their kiss.

 

"Bae..."

 

"Night, Papa though I doubt you'll be doing much sleeping," Bae teased while Tink laughed.

 

Rumple rose from his chair and held out his free hand for his wife's. As they were walking out of the club, they could hear several people talking about them.

 

"Gotta be because he's rich."

 

"Don't give a damn how old he is, I'd still go to bed with him!"

 

"Ten bucks says that's where they're going now!"

 

Rumple rolled his eyes. There were some incredibly outspoken people in this town. His only consolation was that none of the men in the club had dared to approach Belle or they would get the beating of their lives with his cane. Belle groaned with disappointment when they stopped at one of the shops instead of getting into the elevator and returning to their room.

 

"Rumple I do not need that Pepto Bismol. I'm fine!" she insisted then leaned in and started nibbling on his earlobe. "What I do need is you naked in our bed..." she purred.

 

"Belle, sweetheart, we'll get there, but I do need to get something."

 

"You've got five minutes or we're not even going to make it upstairs," she warned.

 

He quickly paid for his purchase and they returned to their room.

 

"Would you mind telling me what you needed to get?" she asked once the door shut behind them. He reached into the bag and handed her a box. She squealed with delight and threw her arms around him.

 

"Oh, Rumple! Will this tell us for certain?"

 

"There's only one way to find out, sweetheart. Just read the instructions and come out when you're done."

 

He paced the floor nervously while she was in the bathroom. There was one way he would have the answer he needed.

 

_I need to know for certain. I won't let Belle be disappointed again. I don't want to be disappointed again._

 

Concentrating hard he pushed his hand against his chest and felt it reaching in to where his heart rested. He pulled gently and his heart still without any traces of darkness in it lay in his hand.

 

"Rumple, what are you doing?" Belle cried out as she emerged from the bathroom with the test strip in her hand.

 

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Those things have been known to be wrong. This is the only way we'll know for certain and I would never pull yours out."

 

He closed his eyes as he recited the spell that would once again divide his heart's essence. He waved his hand over the glowing, beating organ and felt it dividing.

 

"Rumple...how many pieces did your heart divide into when you performed the spell in Pandora's Box?" Belle asked softly as she gazed at the glowing pieces that hovered above his hand.

 

"Four...one that stays with me, one that is part you and me, one that is Bae and me, one that is Henry and me. They should all be red and if there's a piece that needs claimed it should be white."

 

"Rumple..." she said her voice cracking. "Look."

 

He opened his eyes to find that his heart was now divided into five pieces, with a very small one glowing white. His free hand was trembling as he caught the small piece within it. "Show me who you're meant for," he instructed and opened his hand. The small orb floated downward until it was hovering over Belle's abdomen then vanished. It emerged minutes later glowing a deep red then floated back into his hand where it joined the others to reform a complete heart. With tears in his brown eyes he inserted the heart back into his chest and saw the face of a little boy with eyes as blue as his mother's and the same rich brown hair or at least it would what he looked like a in a few years. "Sweetheart, we're having a son," he croaked.

 

Belle burst into tears and threw herself into his arms. "We've done it...we've finally done it!" she sobbed and cupped his face in her hands, kissing him passionately. "I love you!"

 

"And I love you, my darling Belle."

 

Belle grabbed his cellphone out his pocket and sent a message to Bae.

 

You're going to have a brother.

 

Five minutes later Bae and Tinkerbell burst through the doors to their suite.

 

"Papa! Are you sure?" he demanded.

 

"We're sure," Belle said through her tears as she held up the test strip. "We were going to use this but Rumple wasn't sure it would be right so he found a way that would tell him without any doubt."

 

"How?" Bae and Tink asked in unison.

 

"My heart," he said softly as he pressed his hand against his chest. "I now have five pieces instead of four."

 

"If I were you Tinkerbell, I'd use magic to take care of that sunburn unless you want to have a difficult night's sleep. I know we made a rule no magic but it’s better than being in agony." Rumple joked.

 

"Oh, who gives a damn about it now...congratulations!" she cried as she and Bae embraced the expecting parents, Bae in tears himself because he knew how much having another baby meant to his father and Belle after all they'd been through. This baby would grow up differently than he did. It should have made him feel jealous. It should have made him angry, yet it didn't because he knew he would love his new brother as much as his parents would. He would spoil him rotten...then send him home for them to deal with.

 

"I'm calling room service and telling them to send up the finest champagne they've got. We're celebrating!" Bae announced.

 

_Helloooooo Storybrooke!_

_It's been a very BIG day here for us. We spent most of the day on the beach. I've just uploaded some vids for your amusement and yes that is my father in something other than a suit and tie. He needs to dress down more often. Tink got a bad sunburn and Papa got to say I told you so since he did tell us to wear sunblock. Later we went to the club and I sang some karaoke. I stink at it but it was fun as you can see. But the highlight of the night was when I got a text from Belle with some news. I'm going to have a brother! And to end this post of the evening, here is a picture of the expecting parents. Congrats Papa and Belle. We love you!_

 

_Hello everyone,_

_Yes it's true...WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY! I'm in tears as I write this because it's been a dream of mine for so long for have a houseful of children to make Rumple's and my love complete and for the longest time we were afraid it was never going to happen...but it has and right now I feel like I'm floating on air. And Bae and Tink have been so wonderful during all this, Bae most of all. I know this must feel odd to him but Rumple and I will never let him feel less loved than his sister and brother. We love all of them equally. And Bae is like a son to me despite being older than me. We will see all of you soon._

As soon as they read the news Archie and Az and their children raced up to the third floor to tell his brother. David opened the door to the suite grinning.

 

“Belle is having a baby!” Archie announced.

 

“And you are going to be an uncle again,” David announced.

 

“You mean Beth is pregnant too?”

 

“Yes,” Beth murmured.

 

“I’m gonna have a brother an sister!” Jasper announced.

 

“We’ve been trying since the curse broke and we just went to see a doctor this afternoon, Beth’s old OB/GYN and he told us she’s already three months along!”

 

“Looks like we have a lot of celebrating to do!”

 

“Yay, a party!” Amber exclaimed.

 

_Hello, Storybrooke!_

_Congratulations to Rumple and Belle on the new baby and…congratulations to David and Beth too. We just learned we are going to be the uncle and aunt of twins!_

_The Hopper-Molk hippies (David is going to freak out when he reads that part but let him) spent most of the day on the beach. Archie and I took the kids hunting for some seashells we can use to make windchimes for the bus and house and we cleaned up some trash we saw on the beach. It’s a shame people ruin a place so beautiful by being lazy. Here are some of the videos Archie shot. See you all soon!_

Bae awoke the next morning feeling like a there was a band marching across his head. While his father only had a glass or two, he'd drunk everyone under the table and passed out on the sofa in Rumple and Belle's suite while a furious Tinkerbell went back to hers.

 

"I could cure that hangover with a little magic Bae, but I don't think I will," he heard his father say as he stood beside the sofa grinning down at him. "Just so you learn a lesson in moderation."

 

"I'm gonna get punished enough when Tink gets up," he moaned. "Besides, we were celebrating. We need to have a guys night out. Just you and me, but not tonight. Tonight is date night."

 

"Date night?"

 

"Yeah. I'm gonna take Tink somewhere nice and you can take Belle somewhere nice."

 

"Bae, I wouldn't know where to go," Rumple protested.

 

"You could ask Lanie or Beth," Neal suggested.

 

Rumple scowled. The idea of asking the tart who'd mocked his name anything left a bitter taste in his mouth but he wanted to take his wife to a fine restaurant as he wanted to do back in Storybrooke but the only place she wanted to go was to Granny's for her hamburgers. Still, he was willing to put his bitterness aside and ask the tart...if she was willing to cooperate that is.

 

"Ask them what...oh Bae...you look terrible! Are you feeling all right?" Belle inquired when she joined them.

 

"Oh, he just has a bit of a hangover." his father replied. "He was suggesting I ask Beth or Lanie where to take you this evening for dinner, but I don't relish the idea of asking that tart Lanie."

 

"Why don't I do the asking?" Belle suggested. She also wanted another woman's opinion on a different matter. She kissed her husband, grabbed her room key card and headed down to the lobby before he even had a chance to say anything. She found Beth in the elevator.

 

"Belle, is something wrong?"

 

"No, no. I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time."

 

"Of course. We'll go to the cafe. My son and husband went out early this morning wanting me to sleep in. Now then," she said when they were sitting the cafe sipping cups of hot tea. "What's on your mind?"

 

"My husband would like to take me somewhere special for dinner this evening. Umm...since we're new to the area we have no idea where to go."

 

"If you're looking to have a romantic dinner, I would suggest Casa Miranda. Jimmy knows where it is."

 

"We'll go there, then and...I want to wear something equally special. Something...something..."

 

"Something that will leave him speechless," Beth finished. "I think the shop will have something.”

 

Belle reached across the table and took the older woman’s hand. “I heard you’re expecting too.”

 

Beth smiled. “I am and once again it’s a miracle.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I had a miscarriage in my first marriage. We tried the entire time we were married to have a baby, but my husband wasn’t home long enough…right before we got divorced he was…and a drunk driver plowed into my car right when I came out of the doctor’s office.”

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry honey!”

 

“My second husband didn’t want children. He had a vasectomy and didn’t tell me. I got pregnant with Jasper on my wedding night. Sometimes I think it was fate’s way of telling me I wasn’t ready to be a mother until I met the right man to be a father. I was miserable with both my former husbands because I was trying so damned hard to be what they wanted me to be, not be myself and I had to leave them.” She cringed. “And the second tried to kill me….”

 

“This place….this is where you lived with him, isn’t it?”

 

She nodded. “I’m nervous about seeing Channon again. I…I didn’t go to Jamie’s funeral. I couldn’t. I was in the hospital for almost a month after what he did.”

 

“Does she know what he did to you?”

 

Beth shook her head. “The only ones who know are David, Archie and Az.”

 

Belle made a mental note to have a discussion with her husband later.

 

“If you have any trouble with her you tell us, understand?”

 

“I don’t want to drag you into my mess.”

 

“You didn’t make this mess Beth, your late husband did.  Rumple and I….we've been through hell and back over the years but our love is strong." She reached around her neck and unfastened the necklace she was wearing and handed it to the other woman."

 

"It's a little teacup with a chip on it," Beth said.

 

"We've always considered this our talisman," Belle said with a dreamy smile. "I was originally his housekeeper and on the first day I dropped a teacup after he made a joke that shocked me, and I chipped it. I thought he was going to get rid of me right then and there, but he didn't seem bothered by it. When he drank his tea from that day on, he always used that cup. Then the curse hit. He thought I was dead, and he kept that cup with a chip in it to remember me by and now I wear this close to my heart.”

 

“I never expected to fall in love with David. He was one my grandfather’s knights before he got turned into a cricket. He was still a cricket when I was born but he looked after me better than my father’s knights could, but I never made it easy for him. When the curse hit, he was sent to San Francisco and turned back to what he was, and I was sent to Pennsylvania. I moved to Miami when I was eighteen and married my first husband when I was twenty. I started working here after our divorce and that was how I met Jamie. I started freelance writing during that marriage and when I left Jamie, I got a job at the San Francisco Chronicle.” She smiled at the memory. “I met David at one of his crime scenes.”

 

“Not the best place I would want to meet my true love!”

 

“No and his first words to me were ‘Hey, hit the bricks!’”

 

Belle laughed. “Well that was rude!”

 

“It was but something sparked between us the moment we met. We were cursed but it was there and after we got our memories back I knew why. David and I loved each other before….in our past lives.”

 

“Past lives?”

 

She nodded. “In David’s first life he was his own uncle…Morgan Whitmore and I was a lady of Queen Katherine of Aragon of England. David wanted to marry me, but Anne Boleyn goaded the king into making him marry someone else. David was executed along with so many others during the Pilgrimage of Grace and I died of a broken heart. Ozmalita took our souls and had us reborn, him into his own bloodline. Channon is his descendant and Rumple’s.”

 

“There, you see. True love is magic strong enough that it crosses time and space. Will you go shopping with me? I don’t know much about this realm’s fashions.”

 

“I’d love to!”

 

“Let’s call Az and make a ladies day of it!”

 

“Sounds great to me.”

 

As per Az and Beth's suggestion, Belle's outfit for the evening was a blue satin dress with a short flowing skirt and spaghetti straps and a pair of silver medium sized heeled shoes. Once her husband caught a glimpse of her, he found himself unable to speak for at least two minutes just as she'd planned. As always he wore one of his trademark black three piece suits but his silk shirt was the same shade of blue of her gown.

 

Rumple linked her arm in his as they stepped out of the elevator and walked out to the archway where Jimmy waited beside the limo.

 

"Where to this evening, Mr. Strogoff?" he asked.

 

"Beth recommended Casa Miranda. Do you know where it is?" he replied.

 

He smiled. " I certainly do. Climb in and I'll tell you a little bit about it along the way."

 

"Thank you, Jimmy."

 

Once Rumple and Belle were sitting the back of the car, Jimmy lowered the dividing window and started the car. "Casa Miranda is a Latin themed club mostly for couples and the owner, Miranda Santanna came here from Cuba years ago like a lot of people from there did once Castro took over. She has a lot of good food and the entertainment is some of the best in the beach. It's mostly Latin singers with her being the best of them. And you can dance your feet off all night long."

 

"I can't unfortunately," Rumple said, indicating his leg. He would have used a spell to heal it temporarily but didn't want to attract attention and wasn't certain of the physical price it would cost him.

 

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that, Mr. Strogoff," Jimmy teased. "Miranda's gotten people like you who have trouble walking on the dance floor. Don't know how she does it. I think she teaches them steps that make it easier for them."

 

"That would be wonderful, Rumple," Belle said softly.

 

He smiled. "Well then, I may just have to ask her about it."

 

"And here we are...Casa Miranda!" Jimmy announced while he pulled the car into the parking lot and opened the door for his passengers. Rumple stepped out first and held out his hand for his wife. As soon as they entered the building a young woman approached them.

 

"Bienvenidos a Casa Miranda, donde mi casa es su casa. Me llama Terrina."

 

"Buenos tardes Terrina. Me llamo Rumplestiltskin Strogoff y esta es mi esposa Belle," Rumple replied in flawless Spanish.

 

"Ah habla Espanol!"

 

"Si."

 

"Right this way."

 

"How did you do that?" Belle asked.

 

"What, dearie?"

 

"Understand what she said and then answer her in her own language."

 

"It was one of the abilities I acquired being the Dark One and still had being cursed. I can speak at least seven different languages."

 

"I'd like to learn another language."

“You already can now that you’re a Guardian, sweetheart. Just focus.”

 

Terrina handed them their menus once they were seated. One part of the menu was written entirely in Spanish while the other half contained the English translations. Rumple ordered wine to start while they studied the menu. The only fine dining they'd done since their reunion was at Granny's Diner while it was satisfying for Belle, he wished there were more fine dining establishments like the ones they'd been visiting in Miami in Storybrooke and since they now knew for certain that Belle was pregnant, he only wanted her to eat healthy foods.

 

"Are you ready to order?" their server inquired.

 

"Yes," Rumple said and recited the orders they'd agreed on. "Oh, and if you would please bring me a glass of your finest wine."

 

"And you, Mrs. Strogoff?"

 

"I won't be having any. I'm...expecting. But I will have an iced tea," she replied, blushing.

 

"Congratulations! Your first child?"

 

"Our third."

 

"Well then what a perfect way to celebrate. Have you been married long?"

 

"Six months...this trip is a vacation and a honeymoon."

 

"Wonderful. My name is Jess and if you need anything just let me know."

 

"Thank you, Jess."

 

"I have to say Rumple, this has been one of the best places we've been so far," Belle confessed. "Aside from our suite that is."

 

"Jimmy did say this was mostly a couples club and looking around I'd say its mostly for older couples while the places Bae has been dragging us to are more for people your age."

Their orders arrived twenty minutes later only they weren't being served by Jess. Their new server was a female around Rumple's age. She set the plates down in front of the couple and smiled.

 

"Bienvenidos a Casa Miranda Senor y Senora Strogoff. Me llama Miranda Santanna," she greeted in Spanish although hers had more of an accent because it was her primary language.

 

"Buenos tardes Senora Santanna," Rumple greeted. "To what do we owe the pleasure of having you as our server?"

 

"Jess tells me your evening here is a celebration both of your marriage and a new child on the way," Miranda answered. "Also, I prefer to get to know all of my customers on a personal level. How are you enjoying Florida so far?"

 

"It's more beautiful than I could ever have imagined," Belle confessed.

 

"It's been interesting," her husband agreed.

 

"Where are you from originally if I may ask?"

 

"A small town in Maine called Storybrooke," Rumple answered. "A lot of us are...well...fascinated with fairy tales, hence why my first name is Rumplestiltskin but I go by Rumple."

 

"Querido, do you think you are the only person who has come in here with an unusual name? Having a unique name only makes you a more unique person. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

 

"Oh, I'm not but I tend to get a bit...upset when someone mocks me. I treat every person's name as being important."

 

"Well, I'll leave you to enjoy your dinner, but we'll talk more later, yes?"

 

"I'd like that."

 

"She sounds very nice," Belle observed.

 

"That she does, my sweetheart." Rumple agreed.

 

Their dinners were excellent as Jimmy assured them they would be and Jess made frequent stops to their table either to collect the dishes or refill their drinks. Rumple had one glass of wine with his dinner then switched to water, not wanting to repeat his son's mistake of getting drunk. He wanted to be able to remember every minute of their evening together.

 

"Where did Bae take Tinkerbell?" Belle inquired of her husband.

 

"He didn't say but I suspect its one of those night clubs he frequented while he lived here. No matter. Have I told you how beautiful you look in that dress?"

 

"No but being speechless for two minutes tells me you like it," she murmured. "Beth picked it out for me."

 

"She has amazing taste. I take it you and she had a woman's talk?"

 

“We did. Rumple, did you know she and David had past lives.”

 

“Yes…and David is actually my great-grandfather on Pan’s side. Well he was in his first life as Morgan Whitmore. I didn’t See that about him when he was reborn but that was because I didn’t have the Eye of Aramon then. She and David went through their own fires of hell to find their way back to each other. But dinna expect me to be calling him grandda!”

 

Belle laughed. “I do love your native accent.”

 

Jess cleared the last of the dishes from their table and gave it a quick wipe down with her towel. Other couples had already finished their dinners and were now standing on the dance floor. The stage lights came on and a band started playing.

 

"Why aren't you dancing?" Miranda asked as she approached their table. Rumple gestured to his leg. "Come, I'll teach you to salsa the Miranda Santanna way."

 

She led the couple out to the dance floor, patiently guiding them through the steps to make them easier for Rumple to do on his disabled leg with very little discomfort. "There you go!" Miranda said cheerfully.

 

A small crowd gathered around them, clapping. Belle smiled and kissed her husband softly. "I've been wanting to do this a long time," she murmured. They spun around slowly to thank their instructor, but she disappeared. Minutes later she was standing on the stage and began singing a slow love song in Spanish. Belle closed her eyes and rested her head on Rumple's shoulder. His leg ached worse as the night went on, but he didn't give a damn if it hurt for a week when it put a smile on his wife's face to be held in his arms while they danced the rest of the evening away.

 

They were both sleepy when they walked out to the parking out where Jimmy waited and drifted off once they were sitting in the back of the limousine, Belle curled up at her husband's side, only waking up after Jimmy gently shook Rumple's shoulder.

 

"I take it you had a good time, Mr. Gold?"

 

"Yes we did."

 

"It was one of the best nights of my life," Belle whispered.

 

"Well you two have a good night."

 

Belle noticed that Rumple's limp was more pronounced when they returned to their suite. "Oh, darling I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me it was hurting that much?"

 

"Didn't give a damn that it was," he said as he changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed. "Besides, it was worth it. It was well worth it." he murmured as he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

 

"I love you, Rumplestiltskin." She kissed him again then sat down at the desk and turned on her laptop.

 

_Hello everyone,_

_Tonight was date night. I'm sure you'll hear about Bae and Tink's evening on his Facebook page. Rumple and I went to a lovely Latin themed club called Casa Miranda. The food and service there was excellent but what made the evening more special was Rumple and I dancing for the first time. The club's owner, a kind lady named Miranda Santanna took time to show us how to dance the way they do in her country in a simple way so that Rumple wouldn't be in much pain from his leg. One of the other couples was kind enough to take a video for us and sent it to my phone. You'll find it at the bottom of my post along with some pictures of the club. I would love to go there again before we leave. I do miss all of you but I'm loving every moment of this new journey we're on._

 

Belle turned off her laptop and slipped into bed beside her husband, kissing him once more before she too drifted off.


	5. Insane Talking Puppets, A Floating Lounge and Ruffled Feathers

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

**Summer, 2013**

While Regina's luck at the casino seemed to be practically nonexistent, Ambrose's was thriving. In fact, his was the only luck thriving. He could feel the others glaring at him with envy as he won jackpot after jackpot determined to build up his nest egg.

Being on vacation also allowed him to bond with DG. They'd had so little time to do so with all that was going on and her marriage. Being outside of Storybrooke and having no enemies to exterminate would make bonding time much easier. Part of him still felt guilty for deceiving her into thinking he was only a good family friend but it was Lavinia's wish that the truth never be spoken…until the end.

Ambrose rose early as he always did and started up his laptop. He played the slot machines for an hour or two every morning to pass the time until the others got up, but he also checked to see if there were any updates from Bae in Miami. He laughed as he watched Bae fall on his ass after getting hit by a wave, loving this world's technology. He'd seen some of it in the years before the Ozian Civil Wars but this new land he lived in evolved quickly and it was either adapt or be left in the dark.

"Whatcha doin' Glitch?" Henry asked when he entered the living room.

"Oh, just playing the slots and checking your dad's Facebook page. Have you seen it yet?"

"No. Can I look?"

"Sure." Ambrose turned the laptop so that he and the boy could look at the screen together.

"Grandpa and Belle are having a baby! That is so cool. I gotta go tell everyone!" Henry exclaimed and dashed out of the living room and up the stairs frantically pounding on doors and waking the others out of a deep sleep.

"Where's the fire, kid?" Emma groaned when he burst into her room.

"Grandpa Rumple and Belle are having a baby!"

"Oh...that's nice," she muttered and turned over to fall back to sleep.

He then ran into his and Regina's room. "Mom, guess what? Grandpa Rumple's having a baby!"

"He's having the baby? Did one of his magic experiments go wrong?" she chuckled as she sipped her apple cider and read the morning paper.

"No, not him. Belle. Belle's having the baby."

"Then that will be your uncle...or aunt."

"Belle's post said she was having a boy."

"How does your father feel about this?"

"He's happy. I gotta go tell Grandpa and Gramma."

"Henry...do me a favor and ask before you go barging in. Please."

"Umm...okay."

_God forbid he goes through that door and finds them at it again. Emma and I are NOT covering for them this time._

"Henry, what's going on?" David asked from behind their closed bedroom door.

"Grandpa Rumple and Belle are having a baby!" he announced. The couple quickly dressed and opened the door.

"That's wonderful!" Snow cried. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Dad said about it on his Facebook page and Belle confirmed it on hers."

"Looks like we have some celebrating to do," Charming said as they entered the living room.

"Make that double! Beth and David are expecting too!" DG announced.

"What are we all doing today, Mom?" Henry asked Regina.

"Well, Emma and Snow have tickets to the Jeff Dunham show tonight. I don't know what they have planned," she said indicating DG, Ambrose and Wyatt.

"We're going to probably have a guys night so Henry's all yours Regina." Charming answered.

"I'm practically one of the guys so I'm going too."

Wyatt laughed. "My tomboy bride. I guess you can come too, Dottie."

"Mom, we need to win back some serious money!" Henry exclaimed.

Regina laughed. "Yes, my luck hasn't been very good, but I'm not done trying. I'll have those riches yet."

Emma and Snow were barely able to contain their excitement as they waited for Jeff Dunham's show to start.

"There he is!" she cried when Jeff reached into the box and brought out the skeletal puppet Achmed The Dead Terrorist. Snow glanced over at her daughter, beaming with pride. Emma looked like a child on Christmas Day and she was pleased that Charming decided to give his ticket to his daughter so that she could enjoy the show live instead of on a DVD.

"Greetings Vegas infidels!" he shouted.

Emma was on cloud nine. The last year she had with her family were the best of her life and what made it even better was that she could finally take a day off from being the Savior. There hadn't been any reports of crazed magic haters in town or villains from other lands crawling out of the woodwork. Most of the messages she received were from people asking her how she was enjoying the outside world, forgetting that she'd lived in it the entire time the curse was active.

"Silence...I kill you!" the puppet screeched at his master. Emma howled with laughter. She'd been waiting to hear Achmed's signature line all evening. She'd been saying something to Snow when the puppet looked in her direction since she was in the front row.

"Silence blond infidel...I kill you!"

Snow giggled.

"I kill you too bowl haired infidel!"

"Bowl haired...oh my God...I'm gonna pee myself!"

"Please tell me you got that!" Snow whispered urgently.

"I got it..I got it!" she assured her. it hadn't been easy to sneak her cellphone into the event, but she'd managed it and turned it on record before the show started. She couldn't wait to play it back for everyone back at the hotel.

Regina was sitting at one of the poker tables with several of her high roller colleagues and Henry who was still under the illusion spell. Several of them wanted to become skilled enough to compete in the World Series of Poker and there were a few that were participating in tournaments. They had a choice of playing Three Card Poker, Crazy Four Poker, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud, Texas Hold Em and Ultimate Texas Hold Em. Regina had seen variants of each game back in the Enchanted Forest when her husband played them, and she learned the new rules from her friends. She then taught Henry. Her son was doing well, having won several large pots mostly due to his ability to get the other players to fold their hands even when he didn't have anything higher than a pair. Bluffing his opponents had become his superpower as being able to tell when someone was lying was Emma's which was why he never played against her.

As Regina stared down at her own hand she smiled. Up until that point she had been forced to fold many of her hands. One lesson she learned from Leopold that she'd never forgotten was to never bet unless you had a pair or something higher in the hole. She moved a large pile of chips into the center of the table and announced her bet amount, anxiously awaiting the response from her tablemates. Two players, thinking their hands were higher, agreed to her bet, one raising it. She flipped her cards over to reveal a full house of aces and queens while her first opponent had a straight. The other also had a full house that included the queens.

"Regina is the winner with Aces over queens!"

"Great job, Mom!" Henry whispered.

DG, Wyatt and Glitch were spending their evening at Cleopatra's Barge. The club itself was a replica of the famous barge that Queen Cleopatra sailed on during her trips down the Nile River floating on water.

There were quite a few women who approached the men and asked them to dance but when they turned them down one asked them if they were gay.

"You're not my type," Wyatt snorted at Ambrose and drew DG closer.

"Well you're not mine either. I'm married." Charming added.

"Well your wife's not here," one girl reminded him. "It's just a dance."

"No, thank you."

"We're married but he's not and he's a great dancer," DG laughed, pointing to her father. He shook his head.

"Yeah, Twinkletoes." Wyatt teased.

"Bite me, Tin Man."

DG spit out her drink.

"Dottie! Did you teach him that?"

"No, he learned it himself!" she laughed.

They lost count of how many drinks they had. Suddenly Ambrose climbed on top of the bar and started shouting out commands as if he were still the Queen's advisor.

"Ummm...Glitch...we're not in Kansas...we're in a bar...in Vegas...remember?" Wyatt prodded.

"DG, do your glowy thing so the papy don't eat us," he slurred. Other patrons watched the spectacle with interest. It was more fun than anything else they'd ever seen. "Cain…'member, 'member when we took out those Longcoats. I cut quite the rug, didn't I?"

He assumed his martial arts stance.

"What the hell's he talkin about," one of them remarked.

"I dunno."

"Sir," the bartender pleaded. ""Please come down from there."

"I'm the royal advisor to the Queen of Oz. Don't YOU tell ME what to do!"

"Glitch, oh my God, get down from there! Wyatt, do something!" DG begged.

Caught up in the act, other drunk patrons started singing "We're Off To See The Wizard" while the bar staff was trying to figure out what to do with a man who thought he was in the movie. Wyatt was trying to get him to get off the bar with no success since he was just as drunk. Finally, he climbed up on the bar with him and they started singing.

" _I could while away the hours_

_Conferin' with the flowers,_

_Consulting with the rain;_

_And my head I'd be a scratchin'_

_While my thoughts are busy hatchin'_

_If I only had a brain…."_ Ambrose sang.

"That's why you got that big zipper on your head….they took 'em out!" Wyatt laughed and clinked his bottle of beer against Ambrose's.

" _Oh, I, could tell you why_

_The ocean's near the shore_

_I could think of things I'd never_

_Thunk before,_

_And then I'd sit and think some more_! C'mon Tin Man…you..you gotta sing the heart one!"

" _I'd be tender, I'd be gentle_

_And awful sentimental_

_Regarding love and art_

_I'd be friends with the sparrows_

_And the boy that shoots the arrows_

_If I only had a heart…_ what….the hell am I singin"?" Wyatt slurred. "Was I really that soft when I was the Tin Man…somebody shoot me!"

"I'm gonna shoot you here in a minute!" DG yelled.

" _Just to register emotion, jealousy, devotion_

_And really feel the part_

_I could stay young and chipper_

_And I'd lock it with a zipper_

_If I only had a heart…_ yeah, I really need to get shot! I was a whiny sap!"

"Wyatt, Ambrose, you gotta come down off there before they call the cops," Charming pleaded. "And DG's not going to be happy if you get arrested."

"No I'm not! Tin Man, you get your ass down off that bar or you'll sleep on the couch!"

"I'll sleep with ya!" one of the men hooted.

"Oh shit!" DG groaned when she heard a growl from the bar and Wyatt jumped down.

"You wanna repeat that you piece of shit!"

"Wyatt…honey, come on, please not a bar fight!" DG grabbed him before he could go to the man's table and beat him senseless.

"Sorry...dunno what came over me...this should cover the damage," he muttered as he tossed a wad of bills at the bartender and he and Ambrose staggered out of the bar. When they departed so did half the business for the club that night. Meanwhile they were wondering if they would need to make their funeral arrangements.

"You idiots!" DG yelled at them when they got back to the room. "You almost got us busted by the cops!"

"Dottie….I don…I don wanna sleep on the couch…"

"I think…I think I'm gonna be…augghhh!" Ambrose groaned and doubled over vomiting.

"We are dead," Charming mumbled. "DG…can you…clean that up before Regina gets back."

"Yeah. Go to bed. I'll take care of this!"

"Hey…'member the time you got wasted down at the Rabbit Hole, doll!" Ambrose reminded his daughter.

"Yeah but I wasn't dancing on the bar almost telling half the population of Vegas who I really was, now did I? We gotta be careful, dammit! We don't want the Home Office coming for us."

"I know…I know."

"Now go to bed!"

"Okay…" Ambrose staggered back to his bedroom. As Wyatt was about to go to theirs DG blocked the door with her body.

"Don't think so. The couch. Move it!"

"Dottie!"

"Don't you Dottie me. You were just as bad, now git!"

"Dottie, c'mon.."

"Git until you sleep it off."

"Fine," he grumbled. "She forgets all the times SHE got drunk and I didn't have HER sleep on the couch!"

A door slammed upstairs.

"Women," Wyatt muttered and drifted off to sleep.

_Hi everybody,_

_It's been a fun night for everyone here. Me and Mom won big at the poker tables tonight so I think we might be playing it more than the slots. Ambrose and Wyatt got in a little trouble down at the Floating Lounge by acting like they were back in the OZ but everything's okay now. Mom Emma and Grandma Snow went to see Jeff Dunham and Achmed the Dead Terrorist picked on them! It was hilarious. Mom Emma snuck her phone in so I'm posting the vid she made. You can only see the inside of her coat, but you can hear Achmed good._

**Miami, Florida**

**Summer, 2013**

As Rumple feared, his son's idea of a guys' night out was in a bar like the vile Rabbit Hole, only this one was called The Featherhead. The moment he stepped through the doors he knew he looked terribly out of place dressed in his pin striped suit while his son and everyone else wore casual clothes, yet he would keep his thoughts to himself since he wanted to have this time alone with his son. They sat at a table in the corner of the room and ordered their drinks.

"How did date night go?"

"Very well. I must thank Beth for recommending Casa Miranda. Belle loved it. Where did you take Tink?"

"The Olive Garden...oh Holy Jesus!" Bae moaned.

"What is it son?" Rumple asked worriedly.

Bae glared over at two men who were sitting in a booth at the opposite end of the bar with a scantily clad woman between them, her body swaying from side to side as if she were dizzy.

"Papa, stay here. I gotta go take care of that."

"Now wait a minute Bae..." Rumple protested.

"Channon, what the hell are you doing?" Bae demanded when he approached the booth. The woman looked up at him and laughed.

"So ye arreee back in town," she slurred. "You wanna join in Neal?"

"Come on, you need to get home." he said as he reached for her arm.

"'Scuse me pal but she goes home with us," one of the men said and shoved him away.

"I've seen her drunk before and she's never looked that bad. What'd you put in her drink?"

"Nothing," the other answered.

"You lying sacks of shit." he snarled as he reached into one's coat pocket and produced a packet of pills. "Son of a bitch!"

The man swung his fist and punched Bae in the face. Seconds later something came crashing down on his head. He fell to the floor with a furious Rumple standing over him, his cane raised to strike again.

"Touch my son one more time, dearie and you won't have a brain left to think about doing it again." he snarled.

"You wanna fight, old man. Let's go!" his companion challenged. Rumple swung his cane again and struck the other man in the chest. As he was about to charge, Rumple swung it again and struck the side of his face.

"Papa! Papa! We gotta get out of here before the cops show up!" Bae cried, frantically tugging on his father's arm. "You too Channon! Get your ass moving!"

"Bae...will you slow down! You know I can't run!" Rumple gasped as his leg throbbed with pain. "Goddammit! Wait for me!" he snarled, trying his best to keep up with Bae who was running like he was in a marathon. "I...Bae what are you doing?"

"Sorry Papa. Got no choice," Bae said as he hefted his protesting father over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and ran out of the club to the parking lot where Jimmy waited, Channon following suit as best she could.

"Jimmy get in and floor it!" he called out as he opened the car door and dumped his still outraged father on the seat facing the trunk and pushing Channon in after him.

"Now this is a very nice spot!" she giggled as she found herself with her head in the older man's lap. "Ye wanna be my sugar daddy?"

"Excuse me?" Rumple asked. "What in the hell is a sugar daddy?"

"Jesus Christ Neal, what the hell did you do this time!?" Jimmy demanded.

"Never mind that just drive!" Bae ordered.

"I'm getting too old for this shit," Jimmy muttered, starting up the car and speeding off in the opposite direction while a group of police cars surrounded the club. Rumple leaned back in the car seat groaning as the pain grew worse.

"Are you okay, Papa?" Bae asked worriedly as he sat down in the opposite seat.

"Do I look like I am!" Rumple seethed. "My leg hurts like the devil and we were running out of there like bats out of hell and a half naked drunk woman's head is in my lap! Now, do you want to tell me why you want to avoid the police and who this girl is? All we would have needed to do was explain the situation. Those men started the fight. It was self-defense, pure and simple."

"Trust me when I tell you even if we had a hundred witnesses, the Miami Beach cops wouldn't believe a damned thing I tell them."

"Again: do you mind telling me why?"

"I will soon Papa. We have to get you back to the hotel and in bed right now and she needs to sleep it off."

"We're not done, Bae. I want an answer!" Rumple shouted.

"Papa, I promise I'll tell you but let's get you taken care of first."

"You're picking up my bad...habits...avoiding the issue," Rumple murmured. "Madam, do you mind?!" he gasped as he pulled Channon's hands away from the buttons on his vest and forced her to sit up.

"Been a while since I've done it in a limo," she murmured as she reached for Rumple's vest again. He swatted her hands away.

"Channon, cut it out!" Bae yelled.

"What? I'm sure your daddy is as good in bed as you are."

"Bae! Did you have...relations with this girl? Dammit, will you keep your hands to yourself!" he growled, this time swatting her hands away from his lap.

"No, no, no! Channon, Jesus!"

"Thank goodness for small...Bae, will you please do something with her!" Rumple pushed her hands away again.

"I can tell ye what I want ye to do to me," she cooed.

"Enough of this," he grumbled and waved his hand over her, casting a sleeping spell.

Back at the club while other officers were questioning the remaining patrons about the fight, the bartender walked outside to an unmarked car that was parked down the street. The window was rolled down and a man poked his head out.

"Thanks for the call Benitez. Are you sure it was Neal Cassidy?" he asked.

"He's got the knife scar and looks the same as the mugshot we have on file from Womack's bust. You call Morgan? She'll want in on this too."

"Julie did. What's he doing back here now though?"

"Dunno but he's got someone with him...male, early 50s brown eyes, shoulder length brown hair streaked with gray, walks with a limp. Tough old bastard too. Took out two guys with his cane. New boss maybe?"

"Could be. I'm going to talk to the lieutenant and see if he wants us to restart surveillance on him. Once Roasch finds out he's here he might want to put him back in his old job there or shop around for Channon McDermott again. Either way he goes, we're taking McDermott and Roasch down along with him." the other man vowed.

"I'll keep you posted. Happy hunting, Rivera."

Diego Rivera reached into the glove compartment and took out a faded photograph.

"It's almost over Mom," he said softly. "I'm gonna bring that son of bitch Cassidy in and make him tell me what they did to you and then I'll bring you home."

A second call was made from the club, this time to a different number.

"This better be important," came an impatient voice on the line.

"Our old delivery boy is back."

"We've had dozens. Would you mind being a bit more specific?"

"The one the vice cops are after too."

"Well, it looks like he needs a little reminder to keep his mouth shut. See to it but keep it simple, understand?"

"Understood."

Once they pulled into the parking lot Bae got out of the car. "Papa, can you stay here a few minutes while Jimmy and I take care of her," he said indicating the unconscious Channon.

"Yes," he muttered. "Do us a favor and get that tramp away from me!"

Bae lifted her into his arms and started walking down the path that led to her small cottage.

"Colin's gonna have a fit when he sees his cousin like this," Jimmy moaned. "And he'll kill you because he'll think you did it. My advice, drop her off on the doorstep and run like hell!"

Although he didn't like the idea, Bae knew the driver was right. He propped Channon up against the wall beside the front door, rang the doorbell twice and he and Jimmy raced down the sidewalk. A few minutes later the door was opened.

"What the hell is this?!" a man howled in a British accent. "Channon, you wake your ass up right now and tell me what the hell you've been up to and when I get my hands on the son of a bitch who did it, I'm gonna shoot his bloody ballocks off!"

"Bae, what happened?" Belle cried when she opened the door to their suite to find her husband leaning on her stepson grimacing in pain.

"That's what I'd like to know too," Tink said angrily, seeing a bruise on Bae's face and his bloody nose. "You got in a fight down at the club, didn't you?" she pressed.

"Yeah," he answered while he was helping his father into bed.

"What my son isn't telling you or me is why we ran out of there like bats out of hell to avoid the police with a drunken harlot trying maul me when all we had to do was explain that someone else started the fight and we were defending ourselves," Rumple growled. "You are going to give me an explanation, Baelfire."

"Papa, I promise I will but you need to rest first."

Rumple glared at him. "Do we have a deal then?"

"Papa!"

"Answer me!" he snarled.

"Bae, for God's sake just tell him!" Tink cried.

"Bae, I won't stand for this. This family has had enough secrets and lies to last a lifetime and it ends now! After everything he's been through to get you back, he deserves it, damn you!" Belle screamed. "Don't you realize you're only hurting him by keeping silent?"

"Belle," he began.

"No! You shut up and you listen to me! I may be younger than you but I am your stepmother and I love your father more than anything and I'm getting tired of you making him prove time and again you can trust him but how can he trust you when you have this secret you won't share?"

"All right, enough!" Rumple shouted. "Bae, I won't keep asking you about this...for now but if there is a time when I need to know, you will tell me. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Papa. We'll uhh...go back to our rooms."

As soon as they left Belle turned to her husband with her hands on her hips. "Now...what is this I heard about a drunken harlot trying to maul you?"

"I believe it was Channon McDermott in the bar having a difficult time with her dates, so he stepped in and that's how the fight started."

"What did she do?"

"Couldn't keep her hands to herself. I had to use a sleeping spell on her, and I think I heard Bae say something about her being drugged."

"Oh gods, Rumple. She could've been raped! I just read about that in the news. Men in this world...they put something in a woman's drink and rape them! It's called a date rape drug!"

"Does this drug make the woman act...loose?"

"I...I think so. That poor woman. It's a good thing Bae stepped in when he did."

"We both did. I saw one of them hitting my son and I...lost my temper."

"You beat them with your cane, didn't you? Good!"

"Good? I never would have expected to hear that from you about me beating anyone, my sweetheart."

"In this case I'll make an exception," she muttered. "I don't want anything like that to happen to our daughter."

"It won't because any man who wants to date my daughter is going to run the gauntlet first. I may not be the Dark One anymore, but I can still put the fear of it in anyone who hurts my family," he vowed.

Belle crawled into bed beside him. "Is your leg feeling better?"

"A little." He sighed.

"What's wrong, Rumple?"

"I can't let go of the feeling that something's going to happen and it has to do with Bae and what he's not telling me," he confessed. "My son is afraid of something here and I wish he would just tell me and let me help him. I would use the Eye of Aramon but I give him my word."

"So do I. I'm sorry I yelled at him earlier, but he needs to tell you!"

"I won't force him to tell me, Belle. We made a deal and I'm not breaking it."

"….Channon, you wake up right now!" she heard a voice yell followed by a bucket of ice water being thrown in her face. She opened her eyes to find her furious cousin standing over her bed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Colin? What happened?"

"You tell me! I found you on the porch last night drunk off your arse and half naked. One of your boyfriends do this?" Colin Whitmore demanded angrily.

"I think…I think it was Neal…one of my old bouncers."

"Oh really? Where is the bastard?"

"Colin, I dinna think he meant any harm….he was just scared of ye…all my staff is scared o'ye." She sat up and sipped the glass of water he put out on the nightstand. "Why're ye back so soon? I thought ye were gonna stay at Ballyloch with Mum and Grammie."

"I've been pardoned."

Channon snorted. "It's about time. Ye werena a traitor. They set you up good, cousin." She giggled. "Though I did like you using the name Bill Darcy."

He scowled. "You just liked it because I look like that bloke in Pride and Prejudice."

"Well ye do. Now what're ye gonna do."

"I'm going freelance now but I'm assembling a team. Hackers, ex-CIA, ex NSA, MI5, MI6."

"Your mum was expecting ye to take yer ancestral seat in the House of Lords, not be James Bond, cousin."

"Well that's the career choice I took. She understands. So, Neal Cassidy is back. What about Beth?"

"What about her? The bitch dinna come to her own husband's funeral!"

"She couldn't Channon." He sighed. "That was the other reason I came back early. We hacked into the SFPD's files and you're not going to like what I found out."

"What?"

He handed her a folder. She felt the bile rising in her throat while she read through the pages. The older brother she'd idolized all her life had been a rapist, a cocaine addict, a sex addict and possibly a murderer. She dropped the pages in her lap.

"That…that…bastard!" She grabbed the photograph of him she kept on her nightstand and threw it against the wall. "Damn ye Jamie McDermott, damn ye!"

"Channon…"

"I just want to be alone a bit," she sniffled.

She turned and gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

 _And I'm no better,_ she thought and burst into tears.


	6. A God Among Women In Sin City

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

**Summer 2013**

When Regina rose the next morning and entered the living room, she could not conceal her smirk when she saw Wyatt and Charming sleeping on the sofa. Being exiled from the bedroom was not how she would have punished him but if there was one thing she knew, kicking a man out of the bedroom was one of the best tortures a woman could inflict on a lover as was telling them they weren't getting any for a while. She'd had her own bout with stupidity while drunk, a mistake she had no intentions of repeating in the future.

She went into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of apple cider and went out to the balcony for some fresh air, surprised to find that she wasn't alone. Emma was also outside sipping a cup of cocoa, appearing to be deep in thought. Regina would never admit it openly but over the course of the two years Emma had been in Storybrooke, the former Evil Queen began to respect the girl. In many ways she was like the two idiots that bore her but unlike them, she didn't keep her head in the clouds all the time.

"Sometimes I ask myself why the hell I'm doing this," she said aloud. "Didn't see you stand there. I'll bet you're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked bitterly.

"I know too well how it is to live alone," Regina confessed as she sat down beside her. "So no, I am not enjoying this. I told you before you needed to speak to Baelfire."

"At least you don't have to deal with this crap. I'm miserable!" Emma complained.

"That makes two of us," Snow said as she stepped out onto the patio and closed the sliding door.

"Trouble in paradise?" Regina teased. Snow glared at her.

"My husband is an idiot, that's all."

"Oh, it is literally going to snow. She finally figured it out!" Regina exclaimed.

"Knock it off Regina," Emma scolded.

"She's the one who called him an idiot, not me," Regina defended.

"Well he acted like one and so did Ambrose and Wyatt and they need to suffer for a bit before they get back in our good graces. A night on the couch isn't good enough." Snow said firmly.

Regina stared at her former stepdaughter with an amused grin on her face. "Now we're talking," she said just as she had to Rumple months ago while they plotted to take down his crazy father. "The women in my gambling club bought a Fabulous Full Monties show package and they have extra tickets. Wanna go?" she offered.

Emma burst into laughter. "Do you even know what the Fabulous Full Monties are?""

"Oh, for Heaven's sake Emma of course I do. Male strippers."

"We're going to see strippers!?" Snow cried, giggling.

"If you want to, yes."

"I can just imagine the look on Charming's face...count me in!"

"You know, for a second I thought she was going to back out," Regina whispered to Emma.

"So did I. This is going to be interesting."

"What's going to be interesting?"

"We're going to see The Fabulous Full Monties Deege. Wanna go?" Regina asked. "We can get you a ticket. You do know what they are, don't you?"

DG scowled at her. "Do I turn into a dragon and spit fire? Hell yes I know what they are! My friend snuck me into a show of theirs when I was eighteen." She looked around. "The Tin Man would flip out if he knew but lemme tell ya, some of those guys have amazing bods on them!"

"That mean you're coming?"

"I'd love to but the Tin Man has some serious making up to do after his stupidity last night. We're gonna spend the evening here."

To say that Charming was not pleased with where his wife and daughter planned to spend the evening was a gross understatement. Charming knew what male strippers were but Ambrose and Wyatt, still learning about life in this world, did not and both of their male egos were taking a beating as the women discussed in much detail what they wanted to see from the dancers at the club, Regina enjoying their misery more than the others. Charming and Ambrose had to settle for spending the evening at the casino with Henry, who refused to do anything else now that he was on a winning streak. Ambrose was more determined than ever to increase his own fortune so that he could make new and more useful inventions.

"The only body I'm looking at tonight is yours, Tin Man," DG purred.

"Dottie! Save it for later," Wyatt pleaded.

"Yes, please!" Ambrose groaned. "There are some things a father shouldn't see!"

"Or hear!" Charming grumbled.

"You know they do have girl strippers."

"Henry Mills Strogoff!" his mothers exclaimed.

He threw up his hands. "I'm just saying Moms…"

"Do they look like that Airofday?" Ambrose wanted to know.

"Who?"

"Probably," DG rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you still think that bitch is hot when she sold us out to Zero."

"My noggin wasn't working right."

"When is it?" Wyatt countered.

"More than yours does!"

"Boys, settle or I'm putting you in the corners!" Regina scolded. "How do you stand them?" she asked DG.

"I ignore them when they get like this," she giggled and grabbed her purse. "I'm going shopping. Anyone want to go with me?"

"Shopping for what and with what?"

"Relax Wyatt. I'm taking my credit card this time."

"Good because you overdrew mine the last time! Why doesn't anyone pay with cash in this land?"

"Safer to carry the plastic but even it can get stolen. That's why we warded your wallets and our purses," Regina informed him. "I'll go Deege. Snow? Emma?"

"I wanna look good if I'm going to see Chippendales!" Emma grabbed her purse off the table.

**Asgard**

**Summer, 2013**

"…We need a 'gods night out', Brother!" Thor was saying to Loki when he returned to the palace after one of his many trips to Midgard to 'blow off some steam' as he put it while Loki and Sigyn looked after Modi.

"You already spent a week down in Midgard," Loki reminded him.

"Yes, but that was alone. When was the last time you went there on your own? While the Ozian Greeks were trying to get their mess sorted?"

"They have their mess sorted, at least for now but the time the realms unite is coming fast. We have to be ready too, Brother."

"It's not our fight."

"The Hel it isn't! That bitch Alemedia made sure my son's descendants were born and raised in her parents' domain so that she could make one of them her vessel. She makes another move on them and I'll kill her myself!"

"She's imprisoned now, isn't she?"

"She is but she still has vessels out there. Aramon predicted that there would be one dagger left when the realms united. The Guardians need to find the rest of them and neutralize them. And when they do, Dorothia Ozopov takes her places as the ruler of Ephesis."

"Unless the theory you have is true and Persephone is still alive but cursed."

"Seph had better control over her daughters than Hades ever did. Yes, I am hoping Persephone is still alive because if we restore her Dorothia can live the life she's always wanted with her Tin Man."

"Well until then you do have to live your own life. Come to Midgard with me and relax for a little while."

"Where do you want to go?"

Thor grinned. "Sin City, Brother! We can play the slots, cruise the clubs….anything we want!"

"Oh, why not! I haven't been to Vegas in years!"

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

**Summer, 2013**

Thor wanted to go to the bar first before they tried their luck at the slot machines...well...not that they needed luck, but Loki had a strict rule against using magic in Midgard unless it was a dire emergency.

They glamored themselves as middle aged men before they entered the bar knowing they would attract too much female attention if they appeared as their true selves.

It was a sports bar and most of the men were more concerned about the major league baseball games being played on television than what their fellow patrons were up to. Thor ordered their drinks while Loki studied the menu. He preferred to have something in his stomach first.

"Drink's gonna get here before the food does," Thor mumbled. He'd ordered two dozen buffalo wings.

"And you wonder why your son eats me out of house and home? You won't be able to walk after that...and a whole pizza!?"

"Can't drink beer without pizza and wings, Brother."

Loki rolled his eyes. "What's that from? Thor's Manual of How to Drink 101?"

"My worshippers tell me that's how you do it, so I do it!"

Loki shrugged. His worshippers told him to eat before he drank anything and to not drink to excess because they valued their self-control and their brain cells. But then again, his worshippers were a different breed from his brother's.

The waitress sat two mugs on the table.

Thor took a sip from his and grimaced. "Where'd they learn how to make beer? Dinseyland? This is weak as shit!"

Their food arrived ten minutes later, and Thor was finishing his second beer before Loki had even finished his first.

"It's weak as shit but drink up, Brother!"

Some of the patrons were going around the tables lining up teams for a pool match in the backroom. Thor loved playing pool, he enjoyed it even more when he won. His worshippers had made the mistake of beating him in a game once and ended up having their pool table pounded to bits with his hammer.

Loki eyed them and said, "You want to play, Brother?"

"Eh why not! Let's beat the snot outta 'em!"

Loki nodded and ate another slice of pepperoni pizza before bringing his beer with him into the backroom. He enjoyed pool too, and also enjoyed the fact that he could beat his brother with impunity.

"Rack 'em up boys and get ready to lose your shirts!" Thor taunted.

"By you, old man? Right! You probably can't see what colors the balls are!"

"Can you see what color your balls are?" Thor countered.

Loki snickered and took another sip of his beer. The bottle empty he promptly ordered another one.

The brothers played on opposing teams as they always did but instead of playing for money, everyone was playing for drinks with the losers having to buy the winners a drink for every frame.

Soon Loki had a dozen bottles lined up in front of him.

"You gotta...you gotta drink every one man..."

"Gonna have to call the coroner when he's done!"

"Aww c'mon...you think...you think we can't drink ya under the table..." Thor slurred. "Tell ya what...less find out. Line 'em up and we'll show ya how its done little boys!"

The younger men started laughing. "Hope your life insurance is paid up."

Uninterested in seeing his brother drink every man under the table Loki ducked out of the bar and started walking back to the hotel but he was too drunk to remember where it was or even where he was going. He opened the closest door he could find and went inside seeing a man sitting at a dressing table heaving into a bucket.

"Uggghhhhh...thank God somebody showed up!" he groaned. "We're not gonna get paid the whole amount if we're short a guy."

"Excuse me?" Loki asked, puzzled.

The man started taking off his clothes and throwing them at him. "Hurry up and get your ass out there! You can dance, right?"

He heaved again. "Look I'd go out, but I'd probably puke my guts out first."

They could hear women screaming in the other room.

"Of course I can!" Loki snorted. What a stupid question! He was the best dancer on Asgard of the male gods.

"Then get going...just follow their lead!"

"Ladies, the Foxfire Club proudly Presents...The Fabulous Full Monties!"

"Hurry up, you jackass!"

"Hey Mick, let's go! Girls are waitin!" one of the other dancers called out.

"You're Mick tonight, buddy so don't screw up!"

It was the ultimate girls night out. Not only were they going to get the chance to meet and party with the dancers after the show, they also got to sit in their own VIP lounge. Emma and Snow immediately took a liking to the other women in Regina's gambling club who ranged in age from twenty-six to sixty-six. They'd all had a glass or two in them and were well relaxed when the show began.

"Oh my God!" Emma cried out. "Are you looking at that Mary Margaret...are you looking?" she demanded as she shook her mother several times while they watched the men dancing around the stage.

"I am," Snow affirmed.

"Oh, look at THAT one!" One of Regina's new friends pointed to a tall man at the back of the line with long jet black hair.

One of the older women leaned forward. "If I were twenty years younger!"

Regina's jaw nearly hit the floor. That man was even more handsome than Daniel had been.

Emma was panting and fanning herself.

Snow was fighting back images of wanting to be cursed again and having another one night stand.

" _I'm too sexy for my shirt_

_Too sexy for my shirt_

_So sexy it hurts..."_

"TAKE IT OFF!" the women yelled while the men started taking off their shirts.

Loki blinked and a part of his brain thought fuzzily that he really shouldn't be doing this for anybody except his wife. Wait! Was that her over there? He blinked again and slowly shed his shirt, making it look like a snake shedding its skin.

The others started throwing their shirts into the crowd.

"HERE! OVER HERE!" Snow, Emma and Regina yelled at him, holding out their arms.

" _I'm too sexy for your party_

_Too sexy for your party_

_No way I'm disco dancing..."_

The shirt landed in Emma's hands. She held it up to her nose and inhaled the rich scent. "Thanks babe!"

"I get the pants!"

"Queens get the pants. Princesses get nothing!' Regina taunted her stepdaughter.

"Bite me Queenie!"

Emma whistled. "I wanna take him home...hell I wanna take 'em all home!"

"You better be sharing!" Regina called back.

"You're not leaving me out either!" Snow warned.

"Take them off, take them off, take them off," the women were chanting.

" _'Cause I'm a model, you know what I mean_

_And I do my little turn on the catwalk_

_Yeah, on the catwalk_

_On the catwalk, yeah_

_I shake my little tush on the catwalk..."_

The men ripped off their pants and tossed them into the crowd, leaving them clad only in pairs of Speedos.

"Shake it baby!" Emma yelled.

"I take it this isn't the first time you've been to a strip show?" Regina asked.

"Nope. Had to bust one in one of my first bail bonds jobs here...woooo Regina here they come...oh my God they're coming over heeeerreeeee..."

"Oh yes...that's it...come to the Evil Queen," Regina chanted as the men began to dance closer to where the women were sitting.

"You gonna show them just how evil you are?" Emma joked.

"I'll even break out the leather...dammit I need to get laid!"

"Yeah well that god on the end is the one I want...come on honey...right over here!"

"What the hell!? You have got to be kidding me! Why does she get to go on stage? Guys come on! Forget Snow White, she's boring. You wanna play doctor, here are two real women right here who need a good checkup!" Regina hooted as Snow was being entertained by two of the men in the group. Having heard Regina's challenge two of the other dancers approached her and Emma, pulling them on stage too.

This is more like it," Regina murmured, finding herself pleasantly sandwiched between two dancers while another two were entertaining Emma, who was having a difficult time trying to keep her hands off the dancers' bare backsides, the tall dark haired god's the most difficult to resist.

 _Oh, if Charming could see them now_ , Regina thought. She knew Emma had a wild streak in her from the moment she first showed up in Storybrooke but getting her mother to show one was like pulling teeth. No doubt she would regret her actions at this show in the morning as was so like her. As Regina said to Pan before she broke free of his tree of regret trap and took her son's heart back. She was not full of regret because in the end, she got what she wanted...most of it anyway.

"I wanna take you home with me," Emma murmured into Loki's shoulder.

The dancers kept the women on the stage with them as they started dancing to Donna Summer's Hot Stuff.

"Oh I really wish that husband of yours could see you now Snow!" Regina laughed.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him!" Snow sang.

"You doing anything after this? Maybe we could go for a drink?" Emma proposed.

"Already had a few of those, darling," Loki drawled, grinning at her, his emerald eyes slightly sleepy-looking.

"Oooo I love your accent!"

Loki chuckled. Then he began to sing along with the music, his voice a magnificent tenor that caressed her like velvet.

"Forget the drink...do you want to come back to my place..."

What the hell am I doing? she asked herself. He's a complete stranger. Remember the last time you fell head over heels for a stranger...

"I dunno what's come over me..." she murmured.

Little did she realize that she was under the influence of Loki's divine aura, which made her feel all warm and tingly-and almost drooling with desire over the god who danced so seductively. It was something Thor called the "Loki Effect".

"If you can't take the heat Swan get outta the kitchen and let the Queen have a turn!"

"Buzz off, Queenie! This one's mine!" Emma growled, wrapping her arms about Loki.

"No, he's mine!" yelled one of the other women.

"I want him too!"

"Save some for me! I'm not dead yet!"

Soon all the women in the club gathered around them.

Loki held up a finger. "Ah ah ah, ladies! Play nice!" he purred. "Shall we dance?"

"YES!"

" _You can, you can do it very well_

_You're the best in the world, I can tell_

_Shake shake shake, shake shake shake,_

_Shake your booty! Shake your booty!_

_Oh, shake shake shake, shake shake shake,_

_Shake your booty! Shake your booty.."_

He slipped free of Emma's grasp and tapped her on the nose. "Now-you stay right here and watch me, okay, darling?" Then he spun around and began to shake his very fine backside, undulating his hips like a snake.

The women nearly fell on the floor at his feet.

"Now THAT is the best booty in Vegas! Right girls?" Regina asked her friends.

"The best booty in all the realms!" Snow agreed.

Loki turned his head and winked at them, smirking.

"We might as well go home," one of the other dancers grouched.

One of the older women slipped a hundred-dollar bill into the waistband of his Speedo.

"Hey, Mick, you're really on tonight!" hooted one of the other dancers.

Some of the ladies heard and began to chant, "Hey Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind! Hey Mickey!"

Regina reached out and put two hundreds in Loki's green Speedo.

" _Oh Mickey, what a pity you don't understand_

_You take me by the heart when you take me by the hand_

_Oh Mickey, you're so pretty, can't you understand_

_It's guys like you Mickey_

_Oh, what you do Mickey, do Mickey_

_Don't break my heart, Mickey..._ " Snow, Emma and Regina sang.

Loki swayed to the music and blew them a kiss. Other women sighed in envy and attempted to touch him.

" _Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight_

_Won't somebody help me_

_Chase the shadows away_

_Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight_

_Take me through the darkness_

_To the break of the day..."_  they sang.

"Forget LA...we can retire on the tips we're making here!"

Loki grinned, enjoying the attention more than the money.

"I'll go get the car, you ladies grab him and bring him out!" one of Regina's friends ordered.

"Come on Mickey, honey. We're takin this party on the road!"

"Andrea put the top down!"

"And turn the radio up!"

Emma and Regina took Loki's hands. "Come on, sweetheart!" Emma purred. "We're going back to my suite!"

"Hey wait for me!" Snow cried, grabbing her purse.

Loki was laughing, and followed the lady he thought was Sigyn delightedly.

The woman named Andrea pulled up to the entrance of the club in a convertible. "In here girls!"

"Come on, handsome!" Regina urged. "Shake that booty into the car!" She pinched his butt.

" _'Cause I'm a model, you know what I mean_

_And I do my little turn on the catwalk_

_Yeah, on the catwalk_

_On the catwalk, yeah_

_I shake my little tush on the catwalk..."_

Loki obligingly did so, making himself irresistible to the mortals watching.

"Oh my GOD..." several women screamed when they came out of one of the shops.

"Who is THAT? Is he a celebrity?" one old lady demanded. "I want him to sign my body!"

"Outta the way Grandma!" shouted a teenager. "I saw him first! And I don't need Geritol to show him a good time!"

"Jailbait bitch!' yelled another. "He needs a REAL woman!"

"Whoo hoo! Come on baby, light ma fire!" sang a tall blond with six inch stilettos.

A group of women started climbing onto to the trunk of the car.

"What the hell's going on? A flash mob?" a police officer asked his colleague.

"I wanna touch him! Oooh, he is fiiiine!" they catcalled.

"Back off, bitch!" Regina yelled. "He's coming with us!"

"Better call for backup!"

"And tell 'em what?"

"Whaddya think, stupid we got a riot going on out here!"

"A riot of broads...that's a new one!"

"Move your ass!"

One of the women started slashing the tires of the car with a box cutter she had in her purse.

"Ohhh you are gonna pay for that bitch those tires cost me more than your rent!"

"Cancel one of your plastic surgery appointments and pay for em yourself!"

One of the women on the car crawled over and slapped Loki on the backside. "Wow! He's got buns of steel!"

Loki turned around and shook his finger at her. "Naughty girl!" He clucked at her disapprovingly.

"That's it...I'm blasting them!" Emma growled.

"Emma. no! You can't!" Snow cried.

"You take the ones on the car, I got the ones on the ground!" Regina ordered.

"Regina, dammit...no magic!" Snow hissed.

"Magic?" Loki's ears perked up. Then he began to sing, "Every little thing she does is magic!"

"Oh, honey we got plenty of it!" Regina held up her sparking fingers.

"Oh, where's Henry's staff when we need it!" Emma groaned.

"We don't need it. I can invoke his powers...and so can you!"

"Don't you dare!' Snow said through gritted teeth.

Emma gestured and Henry's staff appeared in her hand. "Winds of change I summon thee!"

Snow buried her face in her hands.

Loki froze. His magical senses went on red alert. "You're a Guardian!" He hissed.

Regina and Emma looked at each other. "How do you know what we are?" Emma asked.

"Emma..." Regina stammered.

"What?"

"Can't you feel it?"

"What are you?" Emma asked. His aura was the strongest she'd ever felt.

"I am Loki of Asgard, darlings. You know me better as the God of Mischief." He murmured.

"Among other things," Regina laughed.

"That's all good and well but do you three know you just performed magic in public!" Snow cried.

"Relax Mom. We got this," Emma reassured her.

"Shhh!" Loki put a finger to his lips. "Lovely lady, don't fret!" He waved a hand above his head. "Now forget, darlings! See only what I wish you to see! Hear only what I wish you to hear! And remember only what I wish you to!" Green and gold sparkles drifted over everyone.

The women were immediately teleported back to the club. After the show was over, the three women posed for pictures with the men and got to spend a few more hours with them at the club, the idea that they'd been acting as crazy as their significant others had the night before never entering their minds.

"Loki...what the Hel!" Thor exclaimed, laughing.

"Do you know that old saying that whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, Brother?"

Of course he did...but that didn't mean he couldn't have fun teasing him about it later.

At the casino Ambrose decided to try his luck at the poker tables. Unfortunately, the streak of luck he'd been counting on quickly took a turn for the worst as he lost a large chunk of his money on several hands, he thought were good only someone else had a better one. He watched his chips quickly dwindle away yet he wasn't ready to surrender yet. He went to the nearest ATM machine and withdrew more money believing his next hand would be the big one.

Henry and his grandfather decided to spend the evening at the slot machines although Henry sensed his grandfather wasn't in a good mood. He knew it had something to do with the bar incident, but he didn't dare bring it up. When the three of them returned to the room two of them were a little richer while the third was in danger of losing the last of his nest egg.

The women returned around four AM and upon seeing her husband so miserable Snow White immediately went to work to patch things up.

_Hi everybody,_

_I spent the evening with Grandpa at the slots while Wyatt, Ambrose and DG went to the poker tables. My moms and Grandma went to see the Fabulous Full Monties. I know I'm not supposed to know what they are but I looked it up. Grandpa wasn't happy but I guess they had a good time because they were all happy when they came back and even had pictures taken with them. Mom said she's going to post them on her Facebook._

_Hello ladies of Storybrooke!_

_If you want to see a real man, here are ten of them! These are pictures of me, Emma and Snow White with the famous Full Monties! Along from being gorgeous they are also very friendly. We all had a great time, but I think Emma and I enjoyed ourselves the most. If you want more details...we'll gladly fill you in when we get back!_


	7. The Disney Mafia

**Miami Beach, Florida**

**Summer, 2013**

David and Beth were awakened to someone knocking on their suite door early the next morning. David pulled on his robe and went to answer it thinking it was Archie asking him what their plans were for the day. They wanted to take Jasper to Disney but Bae wanted to take the adults out to one of the clubs later that night while the kids stayed with Lanie.

"Channon," he greeted Beth's former sister-in-law coldly.

"Can I come in? I need to talk to Beth."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "That depends. You give her any shit, you hit the bricks! We understand each other?"

She nodded.

Beth emerged from the bathroom with Jasper and froze when she saw her former sister-in-law in their suite.

"David…" she croaked.

"She wants to talk but she's been warned."

"Can you…call Archie and Az and have them take Jasper?"

"Who you?" the toddler demanded of the strange lady.

"My name is Channon, lad. I knew your mum for a long time and wanted to visit her."

"Okay. You like beach? Daddy says we're gonna go beach today."

"That sounds like fun."

"An Disney."

David excused himself to call Archie while Channon talked to their son. Her calm demeanor surprised him, but he wouldn't let his guard down for a minute. Archie and Az arrived a few minutes later to take Jasper down to the beach with their children.

"All right Channon, what's on your mind?"

"I know…I know what happened between ye and Jamie now…and I'm sorry!" she sobbed.

"How did you find out?" Beth demanded.

"I…I had…I had Colin…"

"You had your cousin hack into the SFPD's files? Yes, I know all about Colin Whitmore. Beth and I don't keep secrets…unlike the rest of you!"

"I know and I can't take it back. Nor do I wanna end up like Jamie."

"I told you what you could do about that two years ago…close the Oasis and concentrate on McDermott Manor. I can sell my shares and Jamie's back to you since we weren't divorced when he died," Beth informed her.

"What about my girls?"

"Channon, they're all intelligent enough and talented enough that they can find legitimate jobs. Or they can keep working at the Manor like they have all these years. If you keep going like this, you will go to prison. You know Diego wants that."

Channon looked away, tears in her eyes. "I know…and that's what bloody hurts the most!"

"Channon, you didn't…." Beth whispered.

"We almost did," she sniffled. "Right after ye left. Lexie left the Oasis and I found out she went to work for Roasch."

"Roasch! Oh Channon, why? She knows what he's like, she knows!"

"I dinna ken! Diego arrested her a few months after she left…Roasch had her turning tricks in cheap motels. She called me and I came to bail her out, even gave her money to start her singing career." She sighed. "Diego and I wanted her out of this life so badly...and it brought us closer. I didn't care that he's younger than me but one night things got a little carried away and he accused me of trying to sleep with him to keep him off our backs. He's been trying to take me down ever since."

"Then make a deal," David advised.

"You, a cop, advising me to take a deal?" Channon eyed him curiously.

"Yes, I'm telling you to make a deal. Have them give you immunity in exchange for giving them everything you've got on Roasch and closing the Oasis."

"Why would ye care what happens to me?"

"Because…." He took a deep breath. "Because you're family."

"Not to ye."

"Yes I am. You'd better sit down….this is going to be a long and complicated story."

Two hours later Channon's hands were trembling while she held a glass of wine in her hands, still struggling to comprehend what she'd just been told. Her mother and grandmother spoke often of their 'magical heritage' but she'd passed it off as just superstition and another addition to their already eccentric reputation.

"I cannae bear to face Rumplestiltskin now!" she moaned. "Not after the way I acted."

"You'll need to sooner or later," Beth reminded her. "My advice would be sooner rather than later."

"I'll talk to him in the morning," she mumbled.

Tinkerbell wasn't surprised when she awoke after midnight to see Bae's room vacant nor did she need him to leave a note telling her where he was. Although it had been years since he worked there, Bae's protectiveness of the women from the Oasis never went away only according to him, Channon McDermott didn't work in the Oasis, or at least she hadn't while he was still in Miami.

When he told her the truth about his criminal past in Miami and other states she was not as shocked as she should have been, having seen what a poor role model he had in Pan during his years in Neverland and his father hadn't been setting a good example as the Dark One either. The Lost Boys were experts at thievery, abduction and fighting since there were no responsible adults around to discourage their bad behavior. The one that should've taken the responsibility never would. After all, it was to go back to being a child again that he came to Neverland. When he returned from the Oasis an hour later, he didn't say anything to her about what happened when he confronted Channon. Instead he simply drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, it seemed as if the previous evening's events were nothing but a bad dream, at least by the way Rumple and Belle were acting. The four of them spent most of the day on the beach again, only Tink was forced to sit under an umbrella because she refused to use magic to heal her sunburn. She and Bae separated from Rumple and Belle for several hours while they did some shopping and Rumple and Belle decided to have lunch in the resort's main dining room. While they were eating a familiar woman approached the table. Rumple cringed.

"Rumple? What's wrong?" Belle asked.

"It's all right Mr. Strogoff. I ahhh...wanted to apologize for my behavior last night," Channon McDermott said softly. "And to thank ye for coming to my defense like ye did."

"No matter," he mumbled.

"Why were you fondling my husband?" Belle demanded.

"Ummm...I was a bit drunk and...my...companions laced my drink."

"Do you realize you could've been raped?"

"Yes, I do. I knew I could get into trouble by going there but I had to."

"Why?" Rumple asked.

"I was looking for someone. Again, I am sorry for any trouble I caused," the woman said and walked away.

Rumple didn't mention Channon McDermott's impromptu apology to his son and neither did Belle. They still held onto the hope that Bae would feel comfortable telling them everything eventually. When he and Tink returned from their shopping expedition, Bae informed them he was taking them all out to a club in town called the Prime Catch.

"This joint looks as vile as the one we were in last night and The Rabbit Hole," Rumple muttered to his wife as he gazed up at the club's sign featuring a scantily clad mermaid that looked a lot like Ariel.

Belle frowned. "I have to agree but we have to tolerate it for your son's sake."

"Archie, is this the place that man…?" Az whispered.

"I think so."

"Then why are we here!"

"I don't know but keep alert."

David's hand reached for the gun he was used to carrying, cursing when he remembered that he'd left it back in their suite.

"Archie, be ready for trouble. This is one of Roasch's clubs."

"What the hell are we doing here then?"

"Damned if I know."

"Alexis," Beth whispered.

"What?"

"It has to be. He's looking for Alexis."

Once they were seated at their table, someone handed Bae a box. He opened it and looked at the contents and read the note inside. "Ummm, Papa, can you excuse me for a few minutes," he said quickly as he stood up with the box tucked under his arm.

"I suppose." Rumple said reluctantly.

Bae walked outside to where two men were standing.

"I got your message," he hissed as he threw the box on the ground. It opened and a rat with its head cut off fell out.

"Good. Wouldn't want anything to happen to that nice little family of yours, would you?"

"You leave them out of this!"

"We will, as long as you remember that dead rats tell no tales, and neither should live ones."

"You can threaten me all you want but if you try anything on me, you're the ones that'll need to be scared."

"Don't think so. You would've been shark bait eleven years ago if it wasn't for that bitch Channon McDermott."

Bae smirked. "You guys enjoy trying to intimidate people like me yet Channon and the D'Amatos has you pissing your pants if you or that cockroach you work for goes anywhere near them because you know damned well they can make you shark bait any time they want to. And let's not forget the vice cops. They want Willie's head on platter since he's given their whole department a black eye."

In the distance he could hear dozens of police sirens. One of the men ran to the end of the alley. "Holy shit, we gotta get out of here and call Roasch. It's a goddam raid!"

"What? Why the hell weren't we told beforehand?"

"Looks like your department snitch dropped the ball," Bae retorted as he ran back into the club, freezing in his tracks when he saw his father, Belle and Tink being led out of the club in handcuffs.

"Well, well, well, look what the tide pulled in! The catch of the day," Detective Victoria Morgan drawled as she appeared behind Bae.

"Well well, well if it isn't Curly," Bae mocked. "So where are Larry and Moe?"

"Oh they're anxiously awaiting your arrival at the station. You didn't think you were gonna give us the slip this time, were ya?" She took a pair of handcuffs out of her pocket and slapped them on his wrists. "Been looking forward to this for a looong time," she said as she led him out to an awaiting squad car.

"Bae, what in the hell have you gotten us into now?" Rumple seethed as he, Belle, Tink, Bae, Archie, Az, David and Beth were being escorted into the police station along with everyone else who had been arrested during the raid on The Prime Catch Club.

"Sir, would you come with me please?" one of the female officers said to Rumple before his son had a chance to answer him.

"Well dearie, since you've confiscated my means of getting around, I'll require some assistance," he said icily. The officer took Rumple's arm and escorted him down the hallway to a small room and helped him sit down in a chair. There were two detectives waiting for him, a male and female.

"I'm Detective Diego Rivera and this is my partner Julianne Womack. May I have your name please?"

"Rumplestiltskin Gold," he muttered, waiting for the laughter to start as it did every time he spoke it in this damned town. Damn his father to all hell…

"No one likes a smartass. Name?" Detective Rivera repeated.

"That is my name, dearie."

"Yeah, and mine's the Tooth Fairy. Name?"

If this man wanted to play games, he would play.

"Very well…The Dark One," he declared in his old high pitched voice complete with his signature wave of the hand.

"Very funny old man. Name!"

"Twisted Little Imp, Malevolent Imp, The Beast…I could go on."

"You're pushing it, old man! Name!" Rivera barked.

"Sir, I've already told you my name. It is Rumplestiltskin Strogoff-Gold, however I use my first initial to avoid insults."

"Okay Rumplestiltskin or whatever the hell your name is, you mind telling us what you were doing in The Prime Catch? Providing Willie Roasch with two more mares for his stable?"

"I beg your pardon…what?"

"The two broads you were with. Was Willie purchasing them from you?"

"No! One of those broads is my wife and the other is my son's friend" he seethed. "How dare you suggest such a thing? And who is this Willie Roasch you are talking about?"

"Or maybe you were checking out the competition for Channon McDermott," Detective Womack spoke up.

"Nothing either of you says is making any sense to me. I'm just here on a holiday with my family!"

"You mind telling us why Neal Cassidy is with you?"

"He's my son but his real name is Baelfire!" Rumple shouted. "Why is that any of your concern?"

"Well, well, well, isn't this interesting, Julie. Looks like his father has no idea what his son was up to here, does he?" Detective Rivera said to his partner.

"Are you saying my son has a criminal record here too?"

"His rap sheet is as long as my arm. He's wanted in a quite a few states but he's ours first."

"You're lying!"

"Afraid not. I busted him myself years ago," Detective Womack declared as she removed a series of printouts from the file folder she had in her hand and handed them to Rumple.

"No, this has to be a mistake. My son would never do…that!" Rumple whispered. "You have the wrong person," he insisted as he pushed the papers away from him.

"No, Mr. Gold. I don't. He may not have been willing to talk then but we've got enough on him now that it's the only option he has."

 _And my son and I are going to have a talk of our own,_  Rumple thought angrily. "He has the right to have an attorney with him during questioning as do I but you incompetents seem to have forgotten that. And since I happen to be an attorney, I must remind you that you're violating that right."

"We can check that out."

"Be my guest. My son is not involved in drug trafficking or prostitution!"

"He worked for the two people heavily involved in one or the other. As you can see from my report Mr. Gold, I arrested him during a prostitution sting eleven years ago where he was recruiting girls to work at McDermott Manor and we have surveillance that shows he was bringing in cocaine shipments from Columbia and Mexico for Willie Roasch, a major dealer here in Miami."

"You're insane. McDermott Manor is a resort."

"McDermott Manor is a whorehouse we've been trying to bring down for years but somehow that bitch Channon McDermott keeps one step ahead of us and Willie Roasch has been a pain in our asses for longer than that. Your son has inside information on both that if he's smart, he'll want to trade to avoid serious jail time." Rivera smirked.

"He's not agreeing to anything unless I advise him to!" Rumple growled.

"Well then why don't we see what he has to say? Tell Vicki to bring him in." he instructed Womack.

Bae's head was bowed as Detective Morgan led him into the interrogation room in handcuffs and sat him down in the chair beside his father.

"Bae, I'm asking you now to honor our deal," Rumple said softly. "I've been told you were involved in drug trafficking and prostitution while you were living here. I don't want to believe it but they have an arrest record here for one of them. Son, look me in the eyes and tell me the truth," he pleaded.

Bae raised his head and sighed. "It's all true, Papa." he croaked.

"Mr. Gold, are you all right?" Detective Womack asked worriedly as she watched the older man's face turn pale.

"It's my fault...all of it," he sobbed as he buried his face in his hands.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you," Bae cried. "I knew you would blame yourself but it's not your fault...I chose to do what I did!"

"I broke our deal...I let you go...How can you say it's not my fault when if I hadn't let you go you never would have ended up in this place!"

"You had to let me go! You always say everything happens for a reason. I didn't understand it before, but I do now. You had to let me go so that you could meet Belle, I could have Henry with Emma and once we found each other we gave you the strength you needed to break your curse without magic and redeem yourself and we did. We did and you did it!"

"Do you have any idea what the hell they're talking about?" Detective Morgan asked her companions.

"No clue," Rivera muttered.

"Papa, it's going to be all right."

"They said you could go to prison..."

"And we mean it Cassidy. We've got some questions for you but first..." Diego Rivera stood up, grabbed the other man by the collar, hauled him up out of the chair and shook him roughly. "You're gonna tell me where my mother is, you son of a bitch!"

"Diego!" Julianne Womack shouted as she and Victoria Morgan tried to pull him away.

"Take your hands off my son!" Rumple snarled as he got to his feet, his magic flaring.

"Not until he answers me!"

"So this pursuit of my Bae has been personal for you, hasn't it?"

"You're goddam right it is!" Diego shouted. "I've been waiting eleven years to get my hands on this bastard and get my answer and I will get it! You and the cockroach you worked for killed her, didn't you? Didn't you?!"

Rumple stretched out his hands and sent a shockwave that sent the three detectives crashing to the floor. He waved his hand over them and cast an immobilization spell. "Now then," he said as he knelt on the floor in front of them. "You touch my boy one more time and you won't have to worry about anything when I take your heart and crush it! My son has never harmed a living soul in his life, but I can't say the same for me when it comes to protecting my family. I show no mercy!"

"Papa, let them go," Bae pleaded.

"Not just yet. We're going to have a little chat first. Let's start with you," he said as he waved his hand over Diego Rivera.

"W...What the hell are you?" he gasped. "S..some kind of wizard?"

"Once I was known as The Dark One, the most feared sorcerer in our world but to get save my family I had to pay a price and that price was to give up being the Dark One. I had to kill my own father to do it then turn the blade that gave me that power on myself since part of my reason for taking the power was to not be like him and protect my family from him. But the power became a crutch you see, and I chose it over my son, let him come to this world alone. I regretted my mistake and spent centuries trying to find him and I am NOT going to let you take him from me now! Get up!"

The still stunned detective slowly rose to his feet and pulled out his gun.

"Papa!" Bae screamed as Rivera pulled the trigger. Rumple conjured a fireball and threw it at the bullet, making it explode. He waved his other hand and the gun was forced out of Rivera's fingers.

"Now, unless you want to keep your heart in your body where it belongs, I suggest you sit down, and we continue our chat."

Rumple fought back the exhaustion that threatened to overtake him, keeping himself focused on protecting his son. There was no telling what those officers would do to him once his strength faltered and he wasn't willing to take the chance. He released the immobilization spell on the two women and retrieved their weapons, not wanting a repeat of Rivera's failed shooting attempt then removed the cuffs from Bae's hands.

"Holy shit!" Julianne exclaimed

"You can say that again," Victoria murmured. "Should I be saying my Hail Marys?"

"I'm having a nightmare and I really need to wake up."

"Oh, you're not having a nightmare dearie. This is very real. Now, why do you think my son is responsible for your mother's death, Detective Rivera?"

"Because I was the last person he saw her with before she disappeared," Neal admitted. "I didn't kill her, I swear to God!"

"Is she dead?" Detective Rivera asked sadly.

"You don't have to answer them Bae," his father advised.

"No, Papa. I have to. I have to tell them everything."

"Is she dead?" Rivera repeated.

"Yes."

Detective Rivera rose from his seat and walked over to the other end of the room, pounding his fists against the wall as he sobbed. Detective Womack comforted him while Detective Morgan stayed at the table.

"You're denying that you participated in Maria Rivera's death yet how are you aware that she's deceased?" she asked.

"Because I heard everything that happened that night. They got in an argument. They fought before but it had never gotten that bad."

"What was the argument about?"

Bae took a deep breath and looked over at the distraught Detective Rivera. If finding out his mother was dead was traumatic, the topic of the argument that led to her death was going to be even more devastating. "Two things...Maria wanted Willie to clean up his act and...and she told him Diego was his son."

"Oh my God...!" Julianne whispered.

Diego spun around and glared at him. "That is a lie! There is no way in hell that son of a bitch is my father!"

"Papa, is there a way you can show them I'm telling the truth?" Bae asked his father. "Tink said it's possible using the part of my heart you have."

"Bae, I didn't even use that spell to find out what you were hiding from me. I wanted to honor our deal!" Rumple cried.

"And I'm asking you to break it."

"What are you talking about?" Diego hissed.

"My father has a piece of my heart inside him. It has all my memories. If he uses a spell to pull it out, it'll show you everything that went on eleven years ago." Neal explained.

"H..How would that help us?" Julianne asked

"Because dearie, unlike the mind's memories, which can be changed according to our desires, the heart's memories only show truths," Rumple added.

"Y..You mean you're going to...literally take your heart out?" Victoria asked, paling.

"That's the way it's done."

"I'm gonna puke," she moaned. "Can't you do it without...that?"

"I'm afraid not. Even if my son gives a full confession, you won't believe him. I sincerely doubt you will believe him now but the only way I can be sure is if I perform a similar spell on one of you. Who wants to volunteer?" he asked with a smirk. The three detectives backed away. "I expected as much."

"You take our hearts out, we're dead," Diego mumbled.

"Oh, no. You see when a magic user takes a heart from another being, they have four options as to how to use it. One is to crush it which will kill its host. The second gives us control over the person. The third, which can only be done with our own hearts, is dividing its essence so that we can bond with someone to give us strength and always find each other if lost. The fourth is to uncover truths the mind hides."

Diego sighed. "Use mine."

"Diego, are you nuts? He'll kill you!" Victoria cried.

"No he won't," Bae said as he looked into his father's eyes. "Papa, if you take his heart, you do it only to see his memories and prove what we're saying is true. Not to control him or hurt him. He has his reasons for being mad at me. You promise me?"

"I'll do what you ask Bae," Rumple said softly. "Detective Rivera..."

"Diego," the younger man corrected.

"Diego, this would be more comfortable for you if you were lying down."

"Get up on the table," Julianne suggested while she and Victoria cleared the table of their files and papers to make room for their friend's tall frame. He lay on the metal tabletop, arms at his sides, grimacing. His friends stood on each side of the table, taking one of his hands in theirs. Rumple waved his hand and conjured a pillow that he placed under the detective's head.

"Thanks."

Rumple glanced at the two women. "This is always terrifying if you've never seen or had it done before so having the two of you here will help. Once I pull his heart out, I will need to cast its memories on something that causes a reflection. That mirror over there will do." He indicated the two-sided mirror on the wall in front of them."

"Ugh..." Victoria groaned.

"Vicki, I swear if you puke I will kill you!" Julianne threatened.

"Is there going to be any pain?" Diego inquired.

"No. All right Diego, I need you to tell me one memory you cherish above all others. It doesn't matter how far back into your life it is. I will still find it," Rumple instructed.

The detective thought for a moment before he spoke. "I was eight," he began softly. "All I wanted to do was go to the beach but Mom had to work all the time so we never got a chance to go...until the summer I was eight years old. We just got in the car and drove down to Daytona. We spent the whole day there and built a sandcastle. It was the best day of my life."

"Lie still."

Rumple pressed his hand against the front of the man's chest. It shimmered for a second or two before Rumple's hand disappeared. He gently cupped the organ in his hand and brought it out slowly. The three detectives gasped in amazement as they saw it glowing bright red and they could hear it beating.

"You okay Diego?" Julianne asked worriedly.

"Yeah.I can't even feel it missing. You're not ready to puke yet, are you Vic?" he teased.

"No but..oh God this is so gross!"

Rumple waved his other hand over the glowing heart as he searched through the man's memories for the one he needed. A bolt of light shot out of it and struck the mirror on the wall, producing an image of the beach where a little boy in a pair of swimming trunks was shoveling sand into a small pail while his mother lay on a towel sunbathing.

"Mom, I wanna make a sandcastle. Can you help me?" Little Diego asked while the adult Diego repeated what his younger self said word for word.

"I sure can, sweetie. Here's how we're gonna do it."

Diego watched with tears in his eyes as his younger self and his mother built their sandcastle and wrote their names and the date underneath it. When they finished Diego threw his arms around his mother.

"I love you Mom."

"I love you too baby."

The image vanished.

"Nothing was the same for us after that day...she got hooked on crack, started drinking and bringing her customers home with her," he sobbed. "But that's how I want to remember her. Just like that. No drugs, no johns, no booze and still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Y...you can put my heart back in, Mr. Gold."

Rumple gently eased the heart back into Diego's chest and stepped back. The young detective sat up slowly and released his friends' hands. "Mr. Gold, are you okay?" he inquired when he saw the older man brush a tear from his eye.

"I'm fine Diego. And so will you...in time. Now, it's my turn." Rumple sat down in the chair and reached into his own chest, pulling out his heart while the detectives and his son watched curiously. He waved his hand over it and the heart divided into red glowing pieces floating before him with one still remained in his palm.

"Why is yours in pieces?" Julianne asked him.

"His is divided," Bae answered. "The piece that's in his right palm is his alone. The other five pieces are his and the ones he's bound to. One's mine, one is my son's, one is his wife's, my sister's and one is my brother's even though he hasn't been born yet."

"How do you know what piece belongs to who?"

"Because I feel their emotions projecting from them," Rumple murmured and reached out to grasp the piece closest to him, closing his hand around it protectively and glanced up at his son. "It's going to be all right, Bae."

He opened his palm and a beam of light shot out of the heart piece, casting images on the mirror in front of them. He watched, his eyes filled with tears as his son who had just abandoned Emma was working as a waiter in another club, casually taking money from the register a few times a night until he was caught by Willie Roasch himself and offered another job, travelling back and forth between Florida and Columbia and Mexico carrying several briefcases filled with cash and others he was not given permission to open, only his companion was allowed to do so. One day he picked the lock on one of the cases and opened it.

"I'd only been in this world six years then, but I read and saw enough to know that I was looking at either cocaine or heroin," Bae explained. "I tried taking off right then and there, but he caught me."

Rumple's knuckles tightened around the handle of his cane as he watched his son being beaten repeatedly by Roasch and two other men, warned that if he ever breathed a word about what he'd seen they'd kill him and make it so that not even his own mother would recognize him. He wanted to find this Willie Roasch and let him see that what he'd done to his precious Baelfire would be nothing compared to the hellish fury the former Dark One would unleash in retribution.

The scene shifted to another room where Roasch and a haggard looking Maria Rivera were in the midst of a violent argument while Bae was tied to a chair. Diego Rivera howled with rage when he saw Roasch take a knife and slash his mother's throat then force his terrified other captive to help him bury the body. The next image that showed was Bae being bound, gagged and tossed into the trunk of a car.

As Rumple's strength faltered, the spell broke, the image vanished and the pieces of his heart reassembled. His hand was trembling as he placed his heart back in his chest. Seconds later he fainted.

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

**Summer, 2013**

Henry was sitting at his computer in the living room looking up some poker playing tips when he suddenly felt dizzy and sharp pains in his chest. He pressed his hand against his chest where his heart rested and an image of his grandfather Rumple lying on the floor unconscious in what looked like a police station interrogation room flashed before his eyes. Henry jumped out of his chair and ran upstairs in search of Regina. She was out on the balcony drinking apple cider.

"Mom! Something's wrong with Grandpa!" he cried frantically.

"What? Snow White kick him out of the bedroom again?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not him! Grandpa Rumple! I saw him in a police station in Miami. He's passed out and he's in pain. I have to go to Miami and help him!"

"Honey, there isn't a flight out of Vegas to Florida today and driving would take us days," she pointed out after she used her phone to check airline schedules.

"Can't I just...get there using magic?" he asked. "I could in Storybrooke."

"Magic is unpredictable outside of Storybrooke, Henry."

"I have to do something. Mom, please!" he begged. "If having part of his heart in me can let me know when he's hurt and needs help, can't it help me get to him? I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for him!" he reminded her.

"You're not going alone," she said firmly.

"Then you'll help me?"

"You know I'll do anything for you," she said softly. "We need to go tell the others."

"I'm going with you," Emma spoke up.

"Is there anything we can do?" David spoke up, indicating himself and Snow.

"We're going too," DG said summoning her sword. Wyatt summoned his pistol and started loading it.

"Regina, what do we need to do?" Snow asked her.

Regina concentrated, trying to remember the lessons Rumple had given her on heart magic. They weren't very extensive as neither one of them had been able to use it after a heart division spell back then.

"Take one of Henry's hands while I hold the other. Henry, listen to me carefully. I need you to try to connect with the part of your heart that's merged with Rumple's. If it is able to tell you he needs you it can also tell you how to find him. Search its memories and it will take you there, take us there."

Henry closed his eyes and concentrated, the path to travel to reach his grandfather revealing itself to him through Rumple's memories and the older man's powers of observation. Little details that average people took for granted became the young boy's roadmap through time and space. He collected them like fireflies in a jar and sent them to the one person he could trust to be his compass, guiding him back to the right direction if he lost his way through the maze of magic.

"Hold on tight...you too Emma," Regina said.

"Hold on Grandpa. We're coming," Henry said as they all vanished into a cloud of purple smoke.

"Papa, wake up, please!" Bae begged through his tears as he shook his father's shoulders. Diego and Julianne knelt beside him.

"Is he breathing?" Julianne asked her partner while he was attempting to examine Rumple.

"Yeah, and he's got a pulse but it's a weak one. Vicki, get on the phone and get an ambulance here!" Diego shouted. "Neal, I'm sorry but we'll need to lay him on the floor. Julie, hand me that pillow he gave me."

"Rumple!" they heard a hysterical Belle scream from the doorway. "Let me in there, that's my husband!"

"Mrs. Gold, we're getting an ambulance here right away. Why don't you come with me and..." Victoria said gently as she tried to lead Belle away. She broke free from Victoria's grasp and fell to her knees at her husband's side and lay her head on his chest as she sobbed.

"Don't leave me Rumple, please..." she begged. "I love you...I need you...our baby needs you..."

"This is why I didn't want to tell him!" Bae moaned.

"What have you done?" Belle cried as she glared up at her stepson. "Haven't you punished him enough for his mistake? Does he have to spend the rest of his life paying for it? Damn you..."

"What the hell is that!" Victoria screamed as a cloud of purple smoke materialized in the room.

"Never mind that, where's the goddam ambulance?" Diego shouted.

"That won't help him," they heard someone say from behind them. The three detectives turned their heads to see four women three men and a young boy in the room.

"Henry," Belle croaked. "You heard him calling...like I did..."

"He's gonna be okay, Belle. We can heal him like before," the boy assured her as he took her hand in his and placed them over Rumple's chest. "Dad, he needs you too. He needs all of us!" Bae placed his hand over his son's and Belle's.

"Oh my God...look at that!" Julianne gasped as she watched a gold light shining from beneath the three joined hands that glowed brighter until Rumple gasped and opened his eyes.

"Bae...Belle...Henry?" he asked weakly. "W...How did you get here, lad?"

"I heard you calling me, and Mom helped me find you," he answered. "Are you okay, Grandpa?"

"I...I'm just exhausted," he murmured as Bae helped him sit up.

"What the hell is going on here, Rumple? Why are you in a police station and using magic? Do you realize how dangerous it is?" Regina demanded.

He scowled. "And hello to you too, dearie," he said sarcastically.

"I'd like to know the answer to that too," Emma added.

"Deputy Swan."

"So what's going on, Gold? You make a bad deal with someone and they had you busted or what?"

"It's not him that's in trouble Em, it's me," Bae said sadly.

"Okay, okay...hold on a minute here. Who are you people?" Diego asked. "I know he's a wizard but who are you?" he asked the others

"He's the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Rumplestiltskin from the Grimm story and the crocodile from Peter Pan," Henry said, indicating his grandfather. "Belle is the Beauty from Beauty and the Beast." He pointed at Belle. "My mom is Regina, but she used to be the Evil Queen from Snow White." He indicated Regina. "And my mom Emma is called the savior because she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and broke a curse on all of us. Snow White is my gramma there, Prince Charming."

"I'm Dorothy Gale, this is the Tin Man and the Scarecrow," DG giggled, introducing herself, Wyatt and Ambrose. 

"And down the hall you have twin Jiminy Crickets, the daughter of Sleeping Beauty and a formerly possessed sorceress," Henry added.

"Ummm...guys...Orlando is thata way," Julianne chuckled. "You're not seriously telling us you're real live Disney characters...are you?"

"They are," Henry declared proudly.

"And I thought I've heard it all..." Diego muttered.

"You believe my grandpa's a wizard. Why can't you believe he's the Beast, Rumplestiltskin or the crocodile?" Henry asked.

"Umm, I haven't seen Beauty and The Beast in a long time, but he sure wasn't a middle aged wizard who dresses like the Godfather and walks with a limp," Julianne answered.

"Don Rumple," Diego joked.

"I actually like the sound of that," Rumple said with a grin. "After all, I do make offers people can't refuse."

Regina rolled her eyes at the detectives. "Go ahead. Inflate his ego more."

"Okay Evil Queen, where's your poisoned apple?" Diego challenged.

"I ate it," Henry answered. "Well, my grandma Snow White ate it first then I got some of it in an apple turnover, went to sleep and woke up with true love's kiss."

"Soooo...who's the other girl with you? Wendy Darling?"

"Tinkerbell," they all corrected in unison.

Diego threw up his hands. "I don't believe this. We've arrested the Disney Mafia!"

"Now I like the sound of that!" Regina said gleefully.

"Bexler is gonna think we've been snorting the coke in the evidence room when we give him our report," Victoria said and laughed.

"No, he's gonna set us all up for a psych evaluation!" Julianne exclaimed.

"Would you guys please stop the joking and tell us what the hell is going on?" Emma asked angrily.

"My past caught up with me," Bae answered.

"You mean the watches thing? I did the time for that in case you've forgotten!"

"No...I had a record here too. Look, I really don't want to get into all of it in front of Henry, okay. What I do want is for you and Regina to take them all back to McDermott Manor or Vegas. It's too dangerous for them here."

"Bae, what did you do?"

"I'm not leaving here without you, Bae!" his father said firmly as he stood up.

"I'm afraid you won't have much of a choice Mr. Gold. We have enough evidence to hold him and with his confession..." Diego said remorsefully. "I'm sorry Neal."

"Dad? What's going on? Why are you being arrested?" Henry inquired of his father.

Bae looked up at his son. "I'm sorry Henry," he croaked.

"My son is not going to prison," Rumple growled. "You call your district attorney right now and tell him we want to make a deal," he ordered the three detectives.

"What the hell did you do?" Regina hissed at Neal.

"Regina, Emma, please just take Henry and go. He doesn't need to see this!" Bae pleaded.

"Why am I thinking this is about something worse than stolen watches?" Emma muttered.

"Because it is...now go!"

"We're going to need all of you but Mr. Cassidy to vacate the room please," Julianne instructed.

"We leave together, or we don't leave at all!" Belle said firmly, her arms crossed over her breasts while she stood beside her spouse.

"Yeah!" Henry piped up.

"You have a choice dearies, either you allow my son to make a deal and we leave together...or we do this the hard way," Rumple advised. He would use every ounce of physical or magical strength he had to fight for his son. The three detectives looked at each other, uncertain of what to do. They knew Rumple was a powerful wizard from his previous demonstration and had to assume the woman whom they called the Evil Queen had to be just as dangerous as the one in the fairy tale even without the poisoned apple.

"Then it's going to have to be the hard way," Diego declared bravely as he approached the wizard and stared him down. "You want your son free and I want my mother's body found and her killer rotting in a jail cell or given the needle. I'm done playing games. You can try to blast us all into pieces but once you do your secret is out and you and the rest of your little band of fairy tale characters are going to become government lab rats once they get wind of what went down here and you'll lose your boy anyway along with your pretty wife. You don't strike me as being a stupid man, Mr. Gold. You only performed magic around us because you're certain we won't talk. That doesn't go for the rest of this shithouse. We've got some of the nastiest rats here who would sell their own mothers to get a quick buck. Now, what I'm offering is that we say your son made a full confession and is willing to give us Willie Roasch in exchange for full immunity and he'll just have to spend a little time in jail til we get everything worked out...and your secret goes no further than this room. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

 _Good God, he sounds just like Papa,_  Bae mused as he looked up at his father and he was not surprised to see an impish grin on the older man's lips. Even without the dagger's curse his father was not a man to walk away from a good deal...and neither it seemed was Diego Rivera.

Wheeling and dealing, those had been the tricks of the trade of the former Dark One. Only one person in all the known realms tried to defeat him at his own game, thinking she'd achieved her victory only in the end he, Rumplestiltskin, had proven the victor despite Cora's boasts to the contrary. Now once again he found himself in negotiations with an adversary who was not only as skilled at the game but offered a solution where both parties could claim victory. Rumple would have his son and Diego Rivera would have his justice. It was deal he was willing to make but only if it was what his son wanted.

"Make the deal, Papa," Bae said softly as he met his father's eyes.

"How certain are you that your district attorney will honor our agreement?" Rumple demanded.

"Ashman wants Roasch as badly as we do," Diego affirmed. "He'll go along with it."

Rumple shook the younger man's hand. "Then the deal is struck but I warn you, no one breaks a deal with me without paying a steep price."

"Oh, believe me, this is a deal I want to honor." Diego vowed. "We'll need everyone but Mr. Gold and Mr. Cassidy to leave the room please."

"Rumple?" Belle glanced over at her husband worriedly. He took her hands in his and patted them gently.

"Everything will be all right, sweetheart," he assured her.

Victoria led the rest of the family out of the interrogation room and they were taken to an anxious Tinkerbell who was waiting in another room drinking a soda and eating a candy bar, adding the wrapper to a quickly growing pile of other discarded wrappers.

"Comfort food, Tink?" Regina asked.

"Wh...How did you get here?"

"Rumple overdid it again and summoned Henry here and you didn't think I'd let him come alone, did you? Now what is going on? What did Bae do that the police want him to make a deal about?"

She glanced over at Henry. "This is not a story he needs to hear. Are you all right, Belle?" she asked the younger woman. She looked exhausted.

"I'll be fine," she murmured as she sat down. "I'm just worried about Rumple and Bae."

Victoria Morgan bought herself a soda and a bag of chips and sat at a table observing Bae's family, remembering how much she'd loved the stories they supposedly came from when she was younger, the exception being the tale of Rumplestiltskin since he was a scary fellow. The Rumplestiltskin she met did remind her more of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, vicious to strangers who crossed him but kind and gentle to his family. She hadn't been around the supposed Evil Queen very long but she wouldn't eat anything that woman made if it had apples in it! Out of the corner of her eye she watched the district attorney walk into the interrogation room where the others waited along with their superior, Lieutenant Bexler.

An hour later the door opened and the men emerged, Bae in handcuffs with his head bowed and Rumple looking like he was ready to burst into tears. Belle rose from her seat and threw her arms around her husband.

"Rumple, darling, what's going on?"

"They want to set a trap for that...that man...and use my son as bait!" he snarled. "I don't like it Belle, I don't like it one damned bit but he won't let me talk him out of it. And the smug bastard threatened all of us if Bae talked. I want to find him and crush his heart into dust but he won't let me and you know I don't like to break deals with him!"

"He still has to spend time in jail?"

"Well he's not spending it alone. I am NOT leaving this place without my son!"

"And I'm not leaving here with you!" she cried.

"Sweetheart...a cell is no place for you in your condition."

"I won't be parted from you again! When we leave, we leave together!"

"What's going on?" Victoria demanded.

"We're not leaving without my son," Rumple said firmly.

"Oh yes you are!"

"No we're not, dearie. You can throw us in a cell if you'd like but we're staying."

Soon everyone joined the protest. Belle sat down on the floor and motioned for the others to join her, not easy to do for her husband.

"I read about this in one of my books. It's called a sit in protest," she explained.

"I love sit ins!" Archie rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"Oh, here we go again!" Az laughed.

"We know!" David grouched. "That rap sheet of yours just keeps getting longer!"

"Well this time it needs to be," Beth murmured.

Emma laughed. "This is so Sixties. Should we break out the tie dye shirts and yell 'Hell no, we won't go!"

"HELL NO WE WON'T GO!" Archie shouted. David facepalmed himself.

Soon the others joined in.

"What the hell's all the racket?" Bexler shouted.

"Ummm...Mr Cassidy's family is refusing to leave and they're just sitting here in the middle of the room!" Victoria called back.

"A sit in? What is this the fuckin' Sixties? Lock 'em up!"

"Sir, one of them is a child..."

"Well then you keep an eye on him but as for the rest of the Disney Mafia, lock their asses up! Now!" Bexler shouted.

"The Disney Mafia?" one of the officers who entered the room to see what the commotion was burst into laughter. "That's a new one. Really? These guys all Disney World rejects or what?"

"They think they are Disney characters. Quit standing there gawking like a bunch of idiots asking stupid questions and get them down to the lockup or you'll be joining them!"

"Come on Don Rumple," Victoria giggled as she helped the older man to his feet and cuffed his hands while other officers took Belle, Regina, Tinkerbell, Charming, Snow, DG, Az, Archie, Wyatt, Ambrose, David, Beth and Emma into custody. As they were being escorted down to the holding cells, other officers who now all heard who each claimed to be from a proud Henry gathered around and started whistling the Godfather theme as Rumple passed them, 'Beauty and the Beast' for Belle, 'Heigh Ho' for Regina and Emma, 'Whistle While You Work' for Snow and Charming, 'Once upon a Dream' for David and Beth, 'We're Off to See the Wizard' for DG, Wyatt, Ambrose and Az, 'When You Wish Upon a Star' for Archie and 'I Believe I Can Fly' for Tinkerbell whose response was to give them the middle finger. Henry stood back with Julianne unable to conceal the grin on his face as he recorded the event on his cellphone for everyone to see back home and in Vegas.

"You have one crazy family, kid," she murmured.

"Yeah but I love them all."

_Hi everybody!_

_We're all down here in Miami since Grandpa Rumple needed our help. Dad's gotten into some trouble down here and we're staying here until it works out. We're now at the Miami Beach police station. Dad has to spend some time in jail until he can get what's going on straightened out but Grandpa doesn't want to leave without him and neither did anyone else so we staged a protest! They call us the Disney Mafia and started whistling Disney songs at us when they took them to their cells. They whistled the Godfather theme at Grandpa and call him Don Rumple. I loved it. Here's the video. Get ready to laugh your butts off!_

_I wish I knew what trouble Dad got in but it's gonna be okay. Grandpa will make sure of it. Until he and my moms get out of jail I'm gonna be staying with one of the officers. She's a nice lady named Julianne. Will keep you posted._

Later that night a call was made from the office of Lieutenant Bexler to an unlisted number.

"Hello?"

"Looks like live rats do tell tales. He and his crazy family are in the lockup now."

"Wait until later and take care of it. The family first and make him watch."

"Consider it done."


	8. Nastiest Rat In The House

Julianne led Henry into the locker room and helped him into one of the cots that had been set up for officers who sometimes decided it was better to sleep at the precinct rather than drive home and made a quick call to her teenage daughter letting her know she wouldn't be home that night. The trap was set. All they needed now was to flush the rat in their precinct out. They had their suspicions of who it might be and now that their intended targets were in the house, it was just a matter of time before they made their move. Julianne pulled out her Glock and checked the clip. It was fully loaded and she had three more concealed in the pocket of her jeans.

Victoria and Diego took their positions outside the cell block, having told the officers originally in charge of the area that Bexler assigned them to the duty instead since they would have a much easier time keeping the latest occupants quiet than anyone else would.

Rumple paced the floor of his cell nervously holding onto the bars for support as he did so while the others slept in the cells around him, wishing he hadn't made a deal with his son not to use magic when this was the time when he needed it the most. The family was in danger and although he trusted the three detectives who appointed themselves their bodyguards, his powers wouldn't fail them. Balefire, however, didn't want his father to push himself to the point where he could die. Rumple had proven once before he was willing to fight to the death for his family and he would do so again and he would once again have Regina as an ally rather than an adversary along with the other Guardians. He glanced over at her cell to see that she too was wide awake, concerned for Henry as they both feared he would be the first target.

"I thought this trip as going to be pleasant one, not take us right back to fighting other villains again." Rumple murmured.

"I missed a good fight, didn't you?" Regina asked.

"No. All I want now is a quiet life with my wife and children."

"I suppose I'll have to get used to just insulting you to death."

"Yes you do, dearie. I'm retired," he quipped.

She rolled her eyes. "What, are we going to have to open up an Old Villains Retirement Home in Storybrooke or an AARV chapter?"

"A what?"

"American Association for Retired Villains? You could be their president."

He chuckled. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"What are you guys talking about in here?" Diego asked as he poked his head in.

"We're gonna form our own AARP chapter for Rumple but we're calling it American Association for Retired Villains," Regina answered.

Diego and Victoria burst into laughter, their laughter waking the others. "Is he the only one in your town that actually is retirement age? How old are you anyway?" he asked Rumple.

"Three hundred and fifty-two before my curse was broken. Now I'm just fifty-two."

"Okay so you moooore than qualify for retirement...and Social Security!" Diego joked. "Do you actually collect it?"

"No, but I do pay quite a bit in income tax."

"I'm not that far behind him in age," Bae said from his cell. "I'm actually one hundred and thirty-five years old."

"How the hell is that possible?"

"I lived in Neverland for a long time and you didn't age there." Bae replied.

"Had I not been executed in 1537 and reborn, I would be older than all of you," David boasted. 

"So would I," added Beth.

"So Neverland is real. What about Peter Pan?"

"My father is dead," Rumple grumbled. "I killed him."

"Whoa! You telling me your father was Peter Pan? How the hell is that possible?"

"Ummm...can we avoid talking about him, please?" Belle pleaded as she glanced up at her husband and noticed that he was upset. "Let's just say he was not how the stories in this world portrayed him and leave it at that."

"Is there a Captain Hook and the Darlings?"

"Yes!" they all cried out in frustration. "Are you quite finished with your interrogation, Diego?" Rumple inquired.

"Yeah but I'd really like to see this place and meet all the real people. Should be interesting."

"There's never a dull moment, that's for sure," Wyatt muttered. "When we get back Madam Mayor, I want more deputies. I can't work twenty-four seven you know!"

The light mood in the cellblock was interrupted by gunshots coming from the floor above them.

"Henry!" Regina and Emma screamed.

"Julianne, come in!" Victoria yelled over the radio she held in her hand.

"Diego, Vicki get them out of there now! It's Bexler, Davis and Tomlinson..I repeat..it's Bexler, Davis and Tomlinson! Tomlinson's down but Bexler and Davis are on their way down there!" they heard Julianne's frantic voice scream back.

"Is Henry safe?"

"We'll meet you outside!"

"Bae, I'm sorry but I am breaking our deal!" Rumple growled and sent an energy blast at his cell door. Az, DG and Regina blasted the others.

"Archie, give me a gun!" David ordered. Archie gestured and a gun appeared in his brother's hands.

Wyatt summoned his pistol after it had been confiscated by the police. 

"Do what you have to, Papa. We need to find Henry and get somewhere safe," Bae ordered.

"I know where they are. Everyone join hands." Regina instructed They all vanished into a cloud of purple smoke as the door to the holding area was thrust open and two men walked in holding guns, swearing in frustration when they found the cells empty.

They reappeared in the parking lot where Julianne waited with Henry. He threw his arms around his mothers.

"Are you okay Henry?" Regina asked worriedly as she checked him over for any injuries.

"No, Mom. Julie got the guy and I got us out here."

"Now that they know we're onto them, they'll try to go for Angelina and Andre, Diego!" Julianne cried.

Diego turned to the magicians. "Now we need your help. We can't leave Julie's daughter and Vicki's son at home alone because if they can't get to you, they'll go after them. Is there any way you can bring them here like you did yourselves?"

"I'll find them," Rumple volunteered. "Ladies, I'll need you to come with me so they won't be frightened when we just appear out of nowhere. Bae, you know this town...is there anywhere the rest of you can go that will be safe until I return?"

"The Oasis."

"What?! The brothel!? Are you out of your mind?"

"No, Papa, I'm not. Roasch won't go anywhere near it because Channon has more power in this town than he does."

"That's an understatement," Diego muttered.

"You are not seriously suggesting we hide out in a whorehouse, Bae!" Emma protested.

"I know what I'm doing, okay. He won't go there but just in case he tries, you can shield it like Storybrooke."

"Or we just forget this nonsense and go to Vegas!"

"I can't leave until I give them Roasch, Regina," Bae reminded her.

"Then you can stay here."

"No! We stay together and that's my final word on it!" Rumple snapped.

"Mom, I want to stay here with Dad...please stay with us!" Henry pleaded. "We need you here."

Regina sighed. "I'll stay but I don't like this one bit!"

"Neither do I!" Emma growled.

Rumple seized Julianne and Victoria's hands and vanished into a cloud of maroon smoke. They first appeared at Julianne's home where her daughter Angelina was sitting on the sofa watching a movie. She dropped the can of soda she was holding onto the floor.

"M...Mom! W...What...?"

"There's no time to explain sweetie. Just hold my hand, okay!" her mother pleaded. The young girl obeyed and they vanished again, this time reappearing in another apartment where Victoria's son Andre was sitting at his computer. Victoria grabbed his hand before he had a chance to ask her what was going on. When they arrived at their destination with two very confused teenagers in tow Rumple rejoined his family while Victoria and Julianne were left to explain the situation to their children.

"Well, we're here. Why aren't we inside yet?" Regina demanded impatiently.

"I had to put the house in lockdown," Channon McDermott said as she approached them. "Well, looks like ye had to come here after all," she snapped at Diego. "Wasn't good enough for ye before but looks like I am when ye want something, eh?"

"Not by choice, believe me," he muttered. She glared at him as he walked away.

Rumple watched the interaction between the two of them, smirking. "What is it, Rumple?" Belle inquired.

"He has something he needs to tell her," he answered cryptically as he linked his arm through hers and walked down to the dock "Whether he has courage enough to is another matter," he muttered under his breath as he summoned his cane from the police station. He and Regina stood near the entrance to the dock. He slammed the end of his cane into the ground and a beam of blue light shot up into the air forming a glowing dome above them. Regina shot a blast of her own magic at it, altering the shield to only allow anyone of their choosing to enter while Bae was with Tinkerbell and Henry talking to them.

"Diego, be careful," his friends were telling him as they hugged him while he stood on the dock with Bae, Henry and Rumple.

"I will. If anything happens, I want you to make sure no one finds out about those guys, okay? We gave them our word."

A similar and far more emotional scene was taking place between a father and son.

"Bae, there has to be another way."

"There isn't, Papa. I'm not gonna let him come and get me. I'm going to him."

"You and Diego cannot go there alone and without magic to protect you that man will kill you both!"

"You're staying here! You already died for me once and you're not doing it again. My sister needs her father and Belle needs her husband too. You have to think about them."

"I just don't want to lose you again," he sobbed.

"This isn't the first time that man's tried to kill me. He couldn't do it before and it's gonna be even harder to do this time."

"What happened after they locked you in the car?"

"They left me for dead on the beach. Channon found me and brought me here. The rest you know."

"It seems our debt to her was paid when we got her out of that vile bar."

"She wants Willie Roasch gone as much as we do and if we can't get him, she will. I have to go, Papa."

"Just...one more thing," Rumple murmured, seizing his son's arm and placing his hand on his chest over his heart while he placed his own hand on his son's. Bae gasped as both hands glowed.

"Papa...what are you doing?" he cried frantically.

"You...told me...to do whatever I had to when I broke our new deal...I'm doing it!" Rumple could feel himself draining quickly but kept his focus as he shared all of his knowledge of light and dark magic with his son and how to use it. "Remember Bae...all magic comes with a price...use it wisely!" he begged before he collapsed with exhaustion.

"Papa! Goddammit, what did you do?" Bae cried as Belle ran to her husband's side followed by Henry and Regina.

Bae and Diego knelt beside him and helped him sit up. Rumple grabbed the Diego's arm and pulled him down so that he could whisper in his ear. "You have something to tell her...now's the time."

"How did you know...?"

"Your heart...only shows truths, Diego. Remember. I've held it and seen what it hides."

"She won't believe me. We've been at each other's throats for so long..."

"Then maybe a demonstration is in order when the words won't do," he suggested as he gazed lovingly at Belle. "I lost her for so long because I was too cowardly to be honest about how I felt. Don't make my mistake. Tell her now before you don't get the chance to and end up with an empty heart."

He sighed as he rose to his feet. "All right but if she pushes my ass off the dock I'm going to say I told you so."

"You may be surprised," Rumple said softly as Regina and Belle helped him to his feet. He embraced Bae one last time. "I love you Bae."

"I love you too, Papa."

"We will see you again, Bae," Belle said determinedly.

Bae climbed into the speedboat he and Diego would take back to the mainland while he waited for the detective to join him. Belle and Regina were turning to escort Rumple into the Oasis when he asked them to stop.

"Why?" Belle inquired.

"Just for a few minutes, sweetheart." he said as he gazed out at the dock where a nervous Diego stood with Channon McDermott.

"He loves her, doesn't he?" Belle inquired.

"He has for a while as she loves him but there are some of the same issues between them that we had. Age for one, their troubled pasts for another."

"They don't look that far apart in age, Rumple."

"Six years but it feels like a lifetime to him."

"Wait...are you saying she's older than him?" Belle exclaimed.

"Yes."

"Oh...I've never heard of that happening before."

"Happens a lot in this world Belle," Regina spoke up. "I for one would love to be in her shoes. He's gorgeous."

"We all know that relationship would be hazardous to his health, dearie," Rumple muttered. "You killed your last pet."

"You killed your first wife."

"Touche. Now shut up and let us watch this!"

"Should I give you some popcorn and a drink while I'm at it? Forget it, I'll just do it," she said and waved her hand. Rumple and Belle were now sitting on a bench, a large bowl of popcorn on Rumple's lap while Belle held a cup of soda with two straws in it. "If you start making out, I am going to heave off the dock."

"Oh, go away!" Belle waved her off as she lay her head on her husband's shoulder while they munched on their popcorn and took turns sipping from the soda cup while they watched a story similar to theirs unfolding.

"Channon, I know I'm asking for a lot by having them hide out here but Neal…sorry Baelfire…won't have an easy time getting used to calling him by that name….doesn't trust anyone else but you with his family."

"They're my family too."

"What?"

"I'll tell ye later. Do you trust me with them?"

"I'm not telling them to leave if that's what you mean," he snapped.

"Dammit, why do ye always do this!" she cried.

"What?"

"Turn any decent conversation we try to have into an argument."

"Then maybe it's better if just don't talk at all!"

"Fine with me!" Channon yelled as she started to walk away.

"Ahhh you damned coward!" Rumple snarled as he threw a handful of popcorn in frustration. "When that boy gets back here, I am stringing him up by his toes and skinning him alive for stupidity!"

"Rumple! Look!" Belle hissed as she tugged on his coat sleeve. He glanced up and saw Diego seize Channon by the arm and spin her around, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's about damned time he took my advice!"

"Ye dinna ken how long I've wanted this," Channon murmured once they broke their kiss.

"You don't know how long I've been trying to work up the courage to do it," Diego said softly and chuckled at the sight out of the corner of his eye.

"What's so funny?"

"We have an audience. Look."

Channon giggled. "How screwed up is this? We're standing here making out while the real Beauty and the Beast are watching us sitting on a bench cozying up to each other eating popcorn and drinking soda like they're in a movie theater."

"Now I can honestly say I've seen it all." He sighed. "And now I don't want to leave but I have to."

"When you come back we're finishing what we started here."

He smiled seductively. "Looking forward to it."

He kissed her one more time before he climbed into the boat.

Belle watched them with tears in her eyes as she recalled her own farewell to Rumple before he departed for Neverland.

_"I understand but I also know that the future is not always what it seems. I will see you again..."_

"I came back sweetheart...so will he and so will my son." Rumple assured her.

She waited until the boat was out of sight before she started walking back to the house, pausing a few feet from where Rumple and Belle sat. Belle sensed the older woman's control was about to break.

"Rumple..."

"Go on. If anyone can offer her any comfort, it's you. I'll just sit here for a few minutes."

Belle kissed him on the cheek and walked over to where Channon stood weeping quietly and embraced her.

"I've said goodbye to him dozens of times over the years why the bloody hell does it hurt so much now!?" she wailed.

"Because now you know he loves you as much as you love him."

"He didn't say it..."

"Couldn't you feel it in the way he kissed you...the way he held you? Sometimes what a man does tells you more than what he says. My Rumple has always been like that and so it seems is your Diego."

"I can't believe this...I'm getting love advice from the girl from Beauty and the Beast," she laughed through her tears.

"My name is Belle."

"Well, Belle...come on...let's get our family settled in," Channon said as she dried her eyes. "Rumple, I can assure ye, ye willna see anything indecent during yer stay," she added as he joined them.

"Oh? Stashed the men under the beds and in the closets, did you, dearie?"

"No, just had to boot them out in the middle of the night," she joked. "And we're an equal opportunity employer so we had to boot some unhappy women out in the middle of the night too."

"Male prostitutes?" Rumple asked, his mouth agape.

"You mean they dinna have them where ye're from?"

"Not that I knew of," he muttered. "But I know a certain pirate who qualified." He shook his head as he limped into the house.

Everyone was shocked when they discovered that the inside of the Oasis looked more like a five-star hotel than a brothel. The staff, having no clients for the evening were all performing general housekeeping duties or gathered in the lounges and game rooms. Regina stood in the doorway of one of them unable to contain her excitement.

"You have a casino here!" she cried.

"Of course we do," Channon said proudly. "There are casinos all over the Miami area and a lot of our clients are professional gamblers so we really couldn't let them have one vice and not the other. It's not Vegas but we have some great payouts and a lot of the staff here worked in the best casinos in Vegas, including the one ye're staying in."

"Yeah but I still can't play in them," Henry said sadly.

"Why not?" Channon asked.

"I'm underage."

"Sweetie, this is my house and if ye want to gamble, ye can gamble." She glanced over at Victoria and Julianne. "Unless our resident vice cops have an objection."

"We're hiding out from a bunch of dirty cops and a psychotic dope dealer in a whorehouse so law and order has basically been thrown out the window," Victoria said.

"What are we going to do about our reservations back in Vegas? And can we even get out with that shield up?" Emma asked.

"We can get out and only those of our choosing can get in. I'll take care of everything back in Vegas. Once all this blows over and we get things settled back home I want to go back. What do you say?" Regina proposed.

Emma smiled. "You're actually great to party with."

Regina laughed. "So are you."

Henry smiled. His mothers becoming friends was a dream of his since the curse had been broken and slowly a friendship had developed between the two of them. He believed it began in Neverland. Peter Pan was a demented man who tried to tear his family apart but all he did was bring them closer together.

Channon had also asked Lanie to bring Hope, Amber, Andy, Jasper and Wyatt Junior to the Oasis so that they could be with their parents.

"So," Tink said to Henry. "I've been seeing on your Facebook page that you've turned into quite a gambler. How about you teach me how?"

"Great! You wanna come Grandpa, Belle?"

"I'd love to Henry but I'm very tired. Perhaps later after I've rested," Rumple answered.

"I'll join you later," Belle said softly, glancing over at Channon. She was keeping up a brave front yet Belle understood the older woman's agony well. She herself lived it the entire time Rumple was in Neverland, the nagging fear that their goodbye had been the last one despite her hopes plaguing her.

Channon escorted the couple to their room on the second floor. It wasn't as large as their honeymoon suite back at McDermott Manor but Rumple didn't care. He was exhausted and the bed was inviting.

"Belle, could you please get my pajamas out of our suitcase," he murmured as he sat down on the edge of the bed to remove his jacket, vest, shirt and tie, a difficult task when he was barely able to keep his eyes open. Belle retrieved his black silk pajamas from the suitcase and placed them beside him while she helped him change. "I hate this. Shouldn't have to wait on me..."

She giggled. "You never minded it when we lived in the Dark Castle."

"Didn't care then," he muttered as he crawled under the covers.

"Oh, yes you did," she teased.

"Okay I did," he agreed. "Don't let me sleep all day. Need to spend some time with Henry...and you..."

"Darling, you've used a lot of magic in the last two days and you need your rest. Henry will understand. And we have the rest of our lives to catch up." She leaned down and kissed him. "I love you, Rumple."

"Love you too," he said and moments later he was asleep.

"Is he all right?" Channon asked when Belle spotted her waiting out in the hallway.

"He will be once he gets some sleep and Bae returns his magic to him."

"Wait...what?"

"Bae doesn't have magic. Rumple gave him his and as long as he has it, his father is in a weakened state which is why Bae wanted him and the rest of us hidden away for protection. My husband, with his magic, is one of the most powerful sorcerers in all the realms. He was much more powerful than he is now because he was under a curse but that curse made him do terrible things."

Channon smiled. "I think I'd like to hear the real story of Beauty and the Beast...if ye want to tell it."

"And I'd like to hear your story."

While they were walking down the hall to Channon's suite Belle was stunned when a woman wearing a skimpy school uniform approached them. Channon snorted with disgust. "Rose! What part of we are in lockdown do you not get! Take that damned outfit off and change into something else. We have kids and two vice cops in the place and the last thing they need to see is that! And Anderson better not be here or you'll be on a week suspension without pay faster than you can say spanking!" she threatened.

"Oooh is Neal's daddy here?"

"Yes but you'd better keep your hands to yourself or his wife will push your ass off the balcony."

"Nothing that drastic but I will break her fingers," Belle said.

"The outfit...change it NOW!" Channon barked.

"Okay, okay, I'm goin," Rose mumbled.

"You won again Tink! Good job!" Henry cheered while the fairy wrapped her hands around the poker chips and moved them over to her end of the table.

"I like this better than playing the slots...more of a challenge," she confessed as she dealt them another hand. "I might suggest to Blue that we make one of our fundraising events a gambling theme. They haven't had much luck with them in the past from what I understand."

"That's a great idea! I can help."

Tink smiled. "Henry, there's something else I do want to talk to you about."

"Okay."

"Your father and me...are you sure you're all right with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because he's not with your mom."

"I know but I like you."

"I just wish Mom could find a true love too."

"Regina has another one. Hopefully he'll come to her. And what if…one of us has a child?"

"I've always wanted a brother or sister," was the boy's reply. "But I don't think Regina can have one...can she?"

Tink wasn't certain how to answer the boy's question, though she did know what the correct answer was. Regina was barren by her own choice through a spell in the book Rumplestiltskin had given to her and her mother, cast not long after she married Snow White's father. She despised her husband and the thought of bringing another child of his blood into the world disgusted her. As far as Tink knew the spell was irreversible.

"It's her choice whether she wants to or not," she finally answered. "But I wouldn't count on it Henry since she's given all of her love to you."

"And I doubt Emma wants to have another kid so it may all be up to you."

She laughed. "Your father and I have to get married first and he hasn't asked me yet."

 _If he even does because if there is a chance Alexis Green is still alive, he'll want to go back to her_ , she thought sadly. _Or Emma._

Even the others were forced to admit that the Oasis did not look like a brothel. Regina kindly reminded them again that Channon forced her staff to make the place appear legitimate to them and that it had its own casino so that they could continue their gambling quest. Emma was also looking forward to spending more time with Regina. Back in Storybrooke both were too busy to be able to take a night and cut loose. All that changed in Vegas. Now they were starting to become best friends. The two women entered the casino room and spotted Tink and Henry at a poker table.

"Henry's quite the card shark," Tink said.

"I taught him well," Regina said proudly. "Room for two more?"

"Always. You wanna join us guys?" Tink asked Snow, Charming and Ambrose.

"Why not." Charming said as he and Snow joined them. Wyatt and DG pulled up chairs on the other side of the table.

"I'm warning you though...Henry will take your money. Where are the others?"

"Rumple's resting and Archie, Az, David and Beth are with the kids."

"This is a lovely room," Belle said softly as she studied the unusual decor of Channon's sitting room. Draped over two sofas and the loveseat were large wool blankets made to resemble the flags of Scotland, Ireland and England.

"I think of it as a tribute to my mixed heritage. I'm Scottish, English and Irish. My accent isn't as strong as it used to be because I've lived here for twenty years. Your husband, oddly enough has a bit of a Scottish accent but he wasna born here. How is that possible?" Channon asked as she sat down beside her and set a tray with a tea service and muffins on the coffee table.

"We were brought here by a curse Regina cast and she gave us false memories along with it. Rumple's are of growing up in Scotland...a place called Glasgow."

"Ahh, that explains it. Glasgow is in the Lowlands while Perth, where Jamie and I were born is in the Highlands. We're considered the bastard branch of the English family we're descended from...the Whitmores because running a whorehouse has been our business for centuries. My gran Fiona runs our house in Scotland so she had Jamie and I taught everything we know about the business. But...I'll tell my story after you tell yours."

"The place where we're from is called the Enchanted Forest. Rumple used to be a wool spinner with no magic in a small village hundreds of miles from my father's holdings. We'd always had a problem with ogres, they would destroy our villages and towns and kill everyone and every capable man was called to fight them. Rumple was still young when he got called to the first Ogre War."

"Do those ogres look like Shrek?"

"No...and much more vicious. They are as tall as giants. While Rumple was with the army to fight the ogres he met a Seer who told him he was going to be a father and his actions in battle would leave his son without a father. He ahhh...crippled his leg so that they would send him home and was branded a coward by his village and his wife no longer wanted anything to do with him and left him for Captain Hook but he was with Bae and the was all that mattered but the ogres were still menacing the land when Bae was about to turn fourteen and they wanted him to fight."

"A kid?! That's insane! What did your husband do?"

"He was tricked into becoming the new Dark One, the most powerful sorcerer in all the known lands...and for a long time, Rumple was feared by everyone and with good reason. The curse on him made him do horrible things, even refuse to come here with Bae."

"He abandoned his son in a world the boy dinna know?"

"And regretted it immediately. He spent centuries trying to find a way to come here but the curse he needed demanded a price he couldn't pay. Before that...the ogres were destroying my homeland. We were desperate and my father thought our only hope was to call on the Dark One since he ended the first war. He came and his price for protecting my town...was me. He said he needed a caretaker for his castle but I realized not long after I arrived that he was lonely." She held up her necklace. "This is an actual tea cup I dropped and chipped the first day I was in his castle. He was telling me my duties and said one of them was to skin the children he hunted for their pelts...it was a quip. A bad one, but it was."

"He's lucky you didn't dump hot tea on his balls 'cause that's what I woulda done!" Channon said and laughed. "I'm sure ye were frightened."

"Oh, I was but the longer I was in the castle, the more I saw of the man behind the monster. Everything changed the day I was trying to open the curtains. I fell off the ladder and he caught me in his arms and held me for a minute or two and we looked at each other. I...I'd never felt that way before, even with my betrothed."

"Like your insides were turning to mush? Oh yes, I've had that feeling...only twice but I've had it. The first time was with my cousin's best friend. The second time...was when I met Diego for the first time."

"Rumple opened up to me a bit after that but then he asked me to go to town to get him some straw, thinking I wouldn't come back. I wasn't going to until I met Regina on the road and talked to her. Then I realized I was in love with Rumple. She suggested I kiss him to try to break his curse. She wanted it done to weaken him since he was her rival and me...if it did work then I would know he loved me as I loved him. I returned that night and kissed him. He started changing back to the man he was before he got cursed but when I mentioned meeting Regina he became enraged, accusing me of betraying him and throwing me out of his castle. Regina captured me as I was going back to him and kept me a prisoner, telling Rumple I died. He kept this teacup to remind him of me."

"How did you get back together?"

"The Mad Hatter rescued me from the asylum Regina was holding me in Storybrooke and gave me Rumple's address. I didn't remember who he was until the curse broke. Rumple's father took Henry and everyone else went after them not long after that. You saying goodbye to Diego on the dock today reminded Rumple and me of our goodbye before he left for Neverland."

"Neverland? As in Peter Pan's Neverland?"

"Yes...that horrible manchild. I still cannot believe a man so evil fathered my Rumple."

"Peter Pan is your husband's father? He's just a kid!"

"No, he gave Rumple away to make himself a child again and he wanted to kill Henry to keep his youth. For a time...even Rumple saw Henry as a threat but that was part of his Dark One curse. He went to Neverland willing to die to save Henry but I believed I would see him again. He did come back but Pan came to unleash another curse that would kill everyone Rumple loved and make the others his slaves."

"How did you stop him?"

"Rumple had to kill Pan and himself...the part that was the Dark One."

"You mean...he died and was somehow brought back?"

"Yes. He still can be a bit...beastly when he wants to be but the evil in him is gone. And that is the real story of Rumple and me."

"Forget Disney! I like my fairy tales with a twist and that is one helluva twist."

"Now I believe you owe me a story," Belle reminded her with a smile.

Channon thought for a moment, wondering just how much of her story she should tell. She wasn't used to opening up to strangers yet in the brief time she'd known Belle Gold, she found the younger woman easy to talk to.

"Well, ye know I'm originally from Scotland, I have an older brother named Jamie who's dead now and I'm a madam but if what ye're asking to hear is how Diego and I met then I have to start with yer stepson and my best friend Alexis Green."

"Bae was a bodyguard for the women here?"

"Yes but the one he was closest to was Alexis." Channon handed her a framed photograph. Belle gasped.

"She looks just...like Tamara!"

"Who?"

"An awful woman who with her boyfriend Greg were sent to Storybrooke by Pan to try to destroy the town first. Then they found Henry and took him to lure Rumple and the others into Neverland. She posed as Bae's fiancee then tried to kill him. Pan probably picked her because of her resemblance to Alexis. Where is she now?"

"Probably dead," Channon croaked. "After Neal….Bae left Alexis disappeared. I didn't know where she was until she called me years ago and told me she was in jail…arrested during a prostitution sting. I went to bail her out and give the cop who arrested her a piece of my mind. As it turns out, it was Diego. I guess Lexie reminded him a lot of his mum and for a while we both were working to get her away from Willie Roasch and be a singer like she wanted to be. Since he was a vice cop I knew he should've been the last man to fall in love with. Plus he was younger. Up until then I was only interested in older men...like my cousin's best friend. I worshiped him for years but he eventually met someone else...he's not with her now but he's still carrying a torch and our breakup hurt. After that I stuck to one night stands and brief but guarded affairs. But there was one night while we were at my apartment waiting for Lexie to come home and needless to say…things got a little heated...at least on my end and Diego got pissed, thinking I was trying to seduce him to get his squad off our backs or get Lexie a better deal in her case."

"Like Rumple thinking I was working for the queen..." Belle mused. "You asked him to leave, didn't you?"

"I had to. I was humiliated. After that...anytime we saw each other we ended up getting in arguments but Lexie, before she disappeared again told me that he and I would have to deal with each other sooner or later and today when he kissed me...I wanted to believe it's because he loved me, that he loves me and doesn't just want to sleep with me."

"Like I said...you should've felt it in his actions but my husband would know for certain what the truth is."

"How?"

"Because when he removed Diego's heart to show him how he could use its memories to reveal truths the mind hides he saw something about you in it and told him to tell you how he felt before he didn't get the chance to."

"Your husband took Diego's heart out of his body...literally...and he's still alive?"

"He didn't hurt him," Belle said defensively.

"No, it doesn't look like it but..." The other woman cringed then quickly regained her composure. "Never mind. He did say he'd been wanting to kiss me for a long time...but I..."

"Didn't want it to end there," Belle finished. "You'll have your moment too, Channon. Believe in the strength of your love and it will happen."

They talked for a good bit of the morning until Belle noticed Channon was having a difficult time keeping her eyes open and the other woman finally agreed that she would get some sleep. She also wanted to check on her husband. She would have preferred that he spend the day sleeping only he would be beastly if he wasn't awakened to spend time with her and Henry like he'd promised. When she entered their suite she saw him in the sitting room still dressed in his pajamas while Henry was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table dealing out cards to both of them.

"Okay now Grandpa...look at your hand and tell me what you have."

"Ummmm...two sevens."

"Now look at the cards showing," Henry instructed pointing at the cards he'd lined up on the coffee table.

"An ace, a four, a king, a queen and a seven."

"These are the community cards. They can be played with what you have in your hand so you have three sevens or three of a kind."

Henry turned over the two cards he had in his hand. "I have an ace and a queen so I have two pairs."

"That means you win."

"No, you do. Three of a kind beats two pair."

"I see you two are having fun," Belle said softly as she kissed her husband and ruffled Henry's hair.

"Henry is teaching me how to play poker."

"You want to learn, Belle?"

"I'd love to," she said as she sat next to Rumple. She knew he was worried about his son but spending time with his grandson would help.

Bae and Diego met up with deputy district attorney Miles Ashman at his home, relating the details of the planned ambush on the Gold family in the cellblock and the warning Bae received before his arrest hours earlier. With Ashman and Diego listening in, Bae called another of Roasch's clubs looking for him. At first the man who answered refused to put his employer on the phone.

"It's been a long time, Neal."

"My name is Baelfire."

"Whatever. So who else is there...let me see...must be Diego Rivera. Am I right?"

"You know me Cockroach...always waiting to rid this town of another pest." Diego said sarcastically.

"Yet we all have something in common...a fondness for whores," Roasch taunted.

"Where's Alexis, you son of bitch?!" Bae hissed, wanting to reach through the phone and strangle him.

"You want to see her, you come down to The Prime Catch...may as well bring Rivera with you and make it a family reunion."

"You're nothing to me, asshole," Diego sneered.

"See you soon," Roasch laughed and hung up.

Before their departure, both men were fitted with recording devices. Diego was used to wearing on, having done so for years in his undercover work while Bae felt uneasy having something attached to his body that could fail at any moment which was why before he and Diego departed the Oasis, he'd worked out a foolproof backup plan with his father that he would only reveal to Diego once they left Ashman's office. Bae trusted him about as much as he did every other law enforcement official besides the Stooges...not at all. Once Diego and Bae were outside and back in the boat, Bae reached inside his shirt and removed the bug.

"What are you doing? We need that!"

"No we don't. You know and I know he's going to search both of us the minute we walk into that club and since he's an ex-cop, he'll be thorough. We'll get what we need, just not in any way he expects." He reached into his pocket and took out a set of keys with a keychain in the shape of an old walking stick dangling from them. He removed the keychain and cupped it in his hand.

"What is that?"

"My father's old walking stick, miniaturized but it's still his. After he became the Dark One he enchanted objects that would become magical when he or anyone of his bloodline handled them and useless to anyone else. See these notches...he was tracking my growth with them."

"Okay, so how is a mini walking stick going to help us?"

"After everything you've seen how can you still have your doubts?" they heard Rumple's voice saying.

"W...Where the hell is that coming from?" Diego asked. Bae gestured to the keychain in his palm. "There's no way!"

"You have everything set up over there, Tink?"

"We just need an object that casts a reflection. Do either of you have anything like that?"

"I don't but maybe he does. Empty your pockets," he said to Diego. The detective rolled his eyes and started tossing objects onto the seat, his wallet, keys a crushed pack of Camel Menthols and a silver cigarette lighter. Bae picked up the lighter, smiling when he saw a brief reflection in it.

"Did you find something, Bae?" his father asked.

"Diego's lighter...it's silver."

"All right...now enchant it so that once it is confiscated it will be nothing more than a cigarette lighter to them but it still will allow us to see what is happening and you will need to perform the same spell on my walking stick," Rumple instructed.

"I...don't know if I can.."

"Yes you can. You got me out of Pandora's Box, didn't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Feel it Bae and make it happen."

Bae cupped the cigarette lighter in his hands and concentrated. Diego watched with amazement as he saw beams of white light through the other man's fingers. When he opened them again the light was gone and the lighter was still the same.

That's my boy! We can see you!" Rumple said proudly. "Now, do the same with my walking stick. The spell you're using not only makes the objects useless to Roasch, he won't be able to destroy them either."

"I feel useless," Diego muttered while Bae performed the spell on the keychain. "You're doing all the work here."

"You're wrong Diego. Bae is not used to performing magic and the more powerful the spells he uses, the more energy he consumes. That's why you've seen me collapse several times. Since my son has my magic temporarily, he is bound to the same restrictions I am and if his strength falters you know what to do. I'm trusting you with his safety if that happens."

"Mr. Gold...if anything happens to me...tell Channon I love her and I'm sorry I was such an ass to her all these years."

"What? Ye canna tell me yerself?" he heard Channon demand angrily.

"Oh Jesus, is she there?" he moaned.

"No, I'm upstairs banging the seventh fleet! Where the hell do ye think I am? Ye are coming back Diego Rivera because ye have to finish what you started. And if ye can...find out where Lexie is."

"You knew Alexis Green?" Bae asked him. The detective nodded.

"She's the reason Channon and I met in the first place. I busted her during one of our prostitution stings and although she hadn't spoken to Channon in a while, Alexis called her to bail her out of jail. For a while she straightened out...then she got back in with Willie again. I'll find her, Chan."

"I should be there with you," Rumple said sadly.

"Papa, we've discussed this. You need to be there with Belle and my son."

"If you get in a bind Bae, I'm coming in and you are not stopping me!" Tink said firmly.

"She's as stubborn as Channon," Diego muttered.

"I heard that!" Channon shouted.

"Just be careful Bae," his father cautioned.

When they arrived at The Prime Catch, neither man was surprised to see that the club was open for business despite having been raided the night before.

"Dipshit One and Dipship Two, we have an appointment with Roasch," Diego informed the bouncers at the door.

"Really, Rivera? You finally coming to your senses? Hell's gonna freeze over."

"You gonna let us in or stand here bullshitting?" Bae demanded.

"Oh, he's looking forward to seeing you...rat."

He's looking forward to seeing Neal Cassidy...not Baelfire...son of the most powerful mage in all the realms.

When they entered Roash's office, Bae couldn't help remembering how much the drug lord reminded him of his father when he was fully engrossed in being the Dark One. Roasch was lounging in his black leather office chair as always dressed in an Armani suit and had a flair for the dramatics.

"Nice suit Roasch...wonder if I can ruin that one too," Diego sneered.

"Just because you got the drop on me once, don't think you can do it again. Hello Neal. You look good for a dead man."

"Yeah well, I guess I owe that to your goons for tossing me onto a beach Channon was on instead of throwing me in the ocean like they planned. They couldn't finish the job because I was too heavy and they were too tired. Pretty lazy if you ask me."

"They made a nice dinner for the sharks," was the man's reply as he stood up. "You know the drill Diego...hands behind your head, face the wall and spread 'em. You too Neal. Search them and you better not miss one spot or you'll have another hole where there isn't supposed to be one...get my drift?" Roasch informed his two bodyguards.

"They might considering your search technique is what...twenty years out of date?" Diego taunted.

Bae grimaced as he felt a particularly sensitive part of his anatomy being squeezed. "Watch it you prick! Was that necessary?"

"Very," Roasch sneered. "You'd be surprised where I can find weapons...or bugs," he said as he held up the set of keys. "A stick keychain? Can't you guys come up with something more original," he spoke into it then dropped it on the floor, crushing it beneath his heel, or at least that was what he saw himself doing. Bae smiled as he watched the pieces of the stick reassemble then become invisible as the spell he'd woven into it took effect. The lighter dropped on the floor. As one of the guards moved to shoot it, Roasch punched him. "What are you trying to do you fucking idiot? Blow us all up? You don't shoot at lighter fluid. Jesus Christ!" He snatched up the lighter and lit a cigarette from Diego's pack while his guards shoved Diego and Bae into metal chairs and secured their wrists and ankles with prison issued shackles.

"If you're gonna kill us Roasch, just get on with it." Bae muttered.

"But it's more entertaining watching you squirm." Roasch said as he stood behind his chair. "Once I'm done with you I'm gonna find out where your family is. The old man...I'll just dump him in the ocean with you but those girls...I could make a fortune off them...especially the brunette...Belle? Is that her name?"

"My father would kill you if you got within one hundred feet of her," Bae said confidently.

"What would he do? Beat me with his cane?"

Bae chuckled. "You have no idea."

Roasch drew his gun and stood in front of his two captives. "It's hard to decide which one of you I should kill first."

Bae cringed. He'd heard the same lines from Pan as he froze him and the others on the street in Storybrooke and made them helpless to act as his father faced Pan alone. Before he could say anything Roasch fired his gun and Diego slumped over in his chair, blood on his chest. As he turned to fire a second time Bae concentrated and conjured a shield. The bullet bounced off of it and hit Roasch in the shoulder.

"What the fuck...?" he gasped.

Reaching into his father's memories Bae flicked his wrist, unlocking the chains around him and Diego. He knelt beside the other man and waved his hand over Diego's chest, healing the bullet wound while keeping the shield over them. Roasch cursed a blue streak as he emptied the clip on his gun on it and three others.

"W...What the hell too you so long?" Diego demanded.

"I've always been afraid of using magic," he confessed.

"Oh, now you tell me! I should kill you!"

"Goddammit, why...can't I...kill...you...what is this fucking thing!" Rosch was screaming as he grabbed a crowbar and started pounding at the shield.

"You know..," Bae said as he and Diego stood up. "Magic," he said with a flourish reminiscent of his father's.

"Don't just stand there, you assholes. Get me something to break this thing!" Roasch yelled at his stunned bodyguards.

"You can't break it," Bae said and the shield vanished. "And you two aren't going anywhere." He flicked his wrist and the bodyguards were now sitting in the chairs they'd occupied minutes earlier with gags tied around their mouths. "And you're not dealing with Neal Cassidy anymore." He waved his hand again and sent the drug lord crashing against the wall. Diego smiled, remembering the time he'd sent the man flying across a bar table after insulting Channon only he'd used his bare hands to do it. As Roasch lay on the floor Bae knelt down beside him and slammed his hand into the man's chest. When he pulled it out Roasch's heart lay in his palm. "Now, you son of a bitch," he hissed as he squeezed it. "Now you deal with the son of the Dark One!"

"Rumple?! What's wrong?" Belle asked frantically.

Rumple stood in front of the mirror frozen in terror as he saw his son holding Roasch's heart in his hand, his eyes dark with fury, his lips curled into an evil sneer, the same look he once had as he allowed the Dark One's powers to consume him and give him the means to extract brutal revenge on those who wronged him when he was the poor wool spinner and village coward. Although when he'd heard Roasch making those comments about Belle, he wanted to crush the man's heart into dust himself.

"Don't let him become what I was...please," he prayed. Although he didn't have his magic, he had a piece of his son's heart inside him and through that he would be able to give his son the advice he himself should have heeded centuries ago.

"Where's Alexis?" Bae demanded.

"Dead," Roasch gasped. "I...ahhhh." he howled as Bae squeezed harder. It would be so easy to squeeze it until it was nothing but dust as his father had done to his mother's and Tamara's After all, Roasch deserved it for everything he'd done. Bae thought of Alexis, beautiful Alexis who just wanted someone to love her but what she'd gotten in return was years of physical and emotional abuse just as Maria Rivera had until she joined her in death and the time he beat him and left him for dead. He waved his other hand and Roasch's tongue appeared in it.

"Your father must've been one scary bastard back in you land."

"You have no idea," he murmured, now understanding why his father held onto his power for so long. With it he feared no one and those he cowered before as the crippled wool spinner were forced to cower before him once he became the Dark One.

_Bae, stop. This isn't you. This is me..this is what I used to be...what you wanted to escape from. Don't repeat my mistake! he heard his father plead in his mind._

_He deserves to die, Papa!_

_There are far worse fates than death. All magic comes with a price and dark magic demands a much higher one._

"Get up," he commanded, squeezing the heart a bit harder. Roasch stood up. "Now...drop the gun and kick it over to Diego." He glared at them and released his grip on the gun, kicking it over to Diego's feet. Diego knelt down to pick it up.

"How long before that wears off?" he asked worriedly, indicating the heart.

"It doesn't until I give him his heart back," Bae answered.

"Well, don't hurry on my account."

"I don't plan to. Put your cuffs on him."

Diego smirked as he retrieved his handcuffs from Willie's desk and fastened them around his wrists.

"Now, you take us to where Alexis and Maria are buried!" Bae demanded. He continued to glare at them as he led them downstairs and into the basement of the club. He stopped in the middle of the room and pointed. "I need you to hold these a minute," Bae said to Diego.

"What? No fucking way!" Diego protested as he glanced down at the tongue and heart in Bae's hands. "Can't you just...make them disappear?"

"The tongue I could but he's going to need it when he confesses. And we need to keep his heart out of his body to maintain control over him. I need my hands free to do a spell that will dig a hole in this spot. We told Channon we'd find Alexis and I know you want to find your mother."

"Yeah. Can you just...please put them in something so I don't have to look at them," he pleaded. Bae summoned a wooden box. It hovered in front of him as he placed the heart and tongue inside. The box floated into Diego's hands. "You getting tired?"

"Yeah...but should have just enough energy left for this." He began to sway. "Umm...maybe not..."

Back at the Oasis, Tink waved her wand over herself and Rumple. They vanished in a cloud of green dust.

"Bae, you better sit down," Diego said.

"Can't...gotta find Alexis..and make sure he doesn't escape."

"Leave him to me," they heard Rumple say from behind them and he took the box from Diego's hands.

"Papa...why are you here? I told you not..."

Rumple gently placed his hand over his son's chest and Bae's on his own, returning his magic back to him. Tinkerbell pointed her wand at the spot where Roasch had been standing and a hole appeared in it, revealing a pile of skeletal remains. Diego choked back a sob and looked away as did Bae. She carefully removed the bodies and placed them on blue silk cloths.

"What do you want me...to do?"

"Alexis...she wanted to be cremated...and so did my mother. I have to take Alexis's ashes back to Channon," Diego said sadly. "They made a promise to each other on what to do if one outlived the other..."

Rumple waved his hand and a chain came down from the ceiling to wrap itself around Roasch's ankles, suspending him in the air. With another wave of his hand, Roasch's heart appeared in his palm.

"You're damned lucky I'm not the Dark One anymore because you'd be dead right now for what you've done to my son...and your own," he hissed as he squeezed the heart tightly. "But there are far worse fates than death and yours...is going to be interesting to say the least. We could make you give a full confession to the police and plea bargain your case..but you'll just find a way to work the system so that you can get out. This is the only way I can be certain you never harm another member of my family again."

He opened the box and shoved Roasch's heart back into his body and replaced his tongue. Seconds later a cloud of purple smoke surrounded the prisoner leaving only an empty chain and below it a glass jar. Rumple picked it up and took it over to Diego.

"What is that?" he asked. He peeked inside. "A cockroach?"

"I thought it fitting that he should become what you've always called him. This jar is enchanted Diego and it can only be opened by you. You can let him out to ahh...talk if you wish."

"I don't have anything to say to him. But how are we gonna explain...?"

"He's chained upstairs with one of his guards...at least that is what it will look like to everyone but us."

"Huh?"

"An illusion spell and they'll have no memory of anything they've seen involving magic."

"Bae used a lot of magic and he's tired...why aren't you yet?"

"Because I've used it for centuries and have more control over it. Don't worry...it will catch up with me here in a bit." They walked over to where Tink and Bae waited with the remains of Alexis Green and Maria Rivera.

"I can't look at her like that...I just can't..." Diego moaned.

"Papa...can you...cremate them?" Bae pleaded.

"Was it their wish, Bae?" he asked softly. His son nodded.

"I'll do it, Rumple," Tink offered. "You've both used a lot of magic today. I just need you to conjure the urns for me."

Two urns appeared on the floor before the fairy. She pointed her wand at the remains wrapped in cloth and they both burst into flames. Bae and Diego watched with tears in their eyes as the remains of the two women they both loved burned to ashes that floated into the two gold urns.

"Let me take this until we get back to the Oasis," Rumple said as he reached for the glass jar containing the insect formerly known as Willie Roasch while Tink handed Diego the urns containing the ashes. They heard sirens wailing outside and ascended the stairs to speak to the officers that were arriving.

Belle and Channon had just fallen asleep in the lobby after spending most of the night awake wondering what was happening to their loved ones. They hadn't been able to see anything after Diego and Bae left Roasch's office except one of the chained guards was made to look like the dealer. Belle had smiled recognizing her husband's handiwork.

Channon awoke to warm lips pressing down on hers. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Diego standing over her.

"Hey baby," he teased. She threw her arms around him and pulled him down to her, returning his kiss.

"Rumple," Belle greeted softly as she was awakened by her husband's kiss. "Bae," she greeted as she sat up and embraced her stepson. "Did you take care of that bastard?" she asked her husband. He pointed to the glass jar on the coffee table. She giggled. "What did you turn him into?"

"What Diego calls him...a cockroach."

"Did you find Alexis...and his mother?"

They looked over at the other sofa where Diego and Channon sat, Channon sobbing quietly as she held the urn containing her friend's remains while Diego held his mother's. "Thank ye," she croaked as her eyes met Rumple's and Tink's. "All of ye."

"You're welcome, Channon."

"Diego...can ye...take me to Daytona?" she asked him.

"That's where she wanted her remains to go?"

Channon nodded. "Bae...ye should go with us...it's what she would've wanted."

"We'll all go," Rumple said softly.

Diego, Channon and Bae stood on the shores of Daytona Beach, Channon holding the urn that contained Alexis's ashes, while Diego held the urn that contained his mother's. Rumple, Belle and Tink waited on the beach, giving them the privacy the three of them would need for such a difficult task.

"Diego, baby, do you want to go first?" Channon asked softly. He nodded and walked into the water with his mother's urn in his hand. He lifted the lid and poured the ashes into the ocean.

"I did it Mom...I brought you back home just like I promised you I would and someday I hope when I go up there with you we can build another sandcastle. I...I love you, Mom," he sobbed.

From his place on the beach Rumple summoned the urn to him. He waved his hand over it and engraved Maria Rivera's name on it along with the dates of her birth and death and the image of a unicorn, her personal symbol.

"Rumple, that's lovely," Belle said as she studied the elegant design.

"I don't have anything like this for my own mother." he confessed sadly. "Papa would've killed me as a babe as Roasch would've killed Diego had he known the truth from the beginning."

"You care for him."

"He's become another son to me and like my own son, I'm going to do everything I can to protect him." He reached into his chest and took out his heart, waving his hand over it to cast the division spell. He smiled softly as he saw another glowing white piece hovering in the air waiting to be claimed. He handed the urn to Belle and cupped the piece in his hand.

"Diego," he said softly and opened his hand to release it.

"Are you ready guys?" Channon asked, still holding Alexis's urn.

"What is that?" Diego asked softly as he pointed at a white orb floating in front of him.

Bae smiled and turned to look back at his father who stood with his divided heart in his hand, nodding.

"Reach out and take it. It won't hurt you." Bae instructed.

"But what is it?"

"You'll see."

Diego grasped the orb in his hands and an image of Rumple standing on the beach with his mother's urn appeared before his eyes.

_"You care for him."_

_"He's become another son to me and like my own son, I'm going to do everything I can to protect him."_

_I know I'm not your father Diego, but like a father, I will protect you with all I have, he heard Rumple saying in his mind. And this is how I can. If you ever need me, I'll be able to find you...wherever you are._

The young man smiled. "Now what do I do?"

"Hold it to your heart. It'll hurt for a little bit but it has to while it merges with yours to connect you to him."

"You mean...Diego will have a piece of Rumple's heart inside him like ye do?" Channon asked.

"Yeah...my father considers him part of our family otherwise he never would've done this."

"Well, here goes," Diego said as he pressed the orb against his chest. He did feel a slight burning sensation that faded quickly. He opened his hand and saw that the orb was now glowing red.

"Now let it return to Papa," Bae said.

Diego turned around, glanced up at the older man standing on the beach above him and released the orb. It floated over to where Rumple stood with his heart in his hand and merged with it. Rumple returned his heart to his chest and waved down at them.

"Okay, now we're ready, Chan." he said. The three of them stepped into the water, Channon still holding Alexis's urn. From his place on the beach Rumple waved his hand and removed the lid. They reached inside and grabbed a handful of the ashes of the woman who had without intending to, brought three strangers together to form a bond as strong as family.

"We made a promise on this beach that if one of us outlived the other that we'd bring each other's ashes here. I always thought I would be the one to go first. I wanted to be the one to go first," Channon sobbed. "I'm sorry I couldn't save ye Lexie...but I'll always love ye..."

"After I left Emma behind I never thought I'd love anyone else again but then I met you and you made me believe it was possible. I used to criticize my father for being a coward but I was one too. Instead of staying and fighting for you, I just let you go and I'll spend the rest of my life regretting it. But I think you wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life alone either and I'm not going to but I'll never forget you, Lexie," Bae said softly.

"When I saw you that night on the strip, Lexie, I saw my mother and I didn't want you to end up like she did. That's why I tried so hard to get you off the street. I didn't understand why you went back before but now I do. You wanted to see Willie brought down for everything he did to all of us and I'd like to think you're sitting up there with a black cherry wine cooler celebrating because that son of a bitch is where he belongs because we all put him there...together just like you wanted. I''ll miss you, Lex."

They opened their hands and let the ashes fall, dissolving as they hit the water.

"She may have helped them bring a madman to justice but she also gave them something far more important," Rumple said to Belle. "She gave them each other."

When Bae, Diego and Channon rejoined them, Tink waved her wand to return them back to the Oasis.


	9. New Homes, New Lives

For the next few weeks Bae, Channon and Diego spent most of their time talking to the district attorney. Channon was granted immunity both for herself and her staff after she turned over all the evidence she’d been gathering over the years against Willie Roasch. She was horrified to discover that her late brother had been one of his clients for drugs and women and several of the women interviewed from the Prime Catch corroborated Beth’s accusations that her late husband was physically and sexually abusive and addicted to cocaine. Six more officers were also indicted along with two of the three that attempted to murder the family.

 

While Regina, Emma, Snow, Charming, DG, Wyatt, Henry and Ambrose returned to Las Vegas to continue their vacation, the others continued theirs at McDermott Manor. Rumple had his own projects to attend to but when his family asked him what they were, all he would do was smile and say that it was a surprise.

 

"We're here Mr. Gold," Jimmy announced as he brought the car to a stop in the driveway in front of a three-story mansion that was for sale in Juno Beach. The real estate agent was waiting for him as he stepped out of the car.

 

"Good morning, Mr. Gold," she greeted as she held out her hand.

 

"Good morning Ms. Franklin."

 

"I see you didn't bring your family with you."

 

"I'd like to tour the house myself first if that is agreeable with you."

 

"Of course. When we spoke on the phone you said that you have a home in Maine and were interested in buying a home in this area to reside in during the summer months."

 

"My wife enjoys her New England winters and I don't want to deprive her of that. However, if she decides she'd like to make Florida our permanent home I'll be selling the house in Maine."

 

"I'm sure you'll find this house suitable, Mr. Gold," Ms. Franklin said confidently.

 

They started on the first floor. There were two swimming pools, an outdoor and an indoor pool as well as a spa and cabana. There was also a ballroom, an odd addition to a house built only ten years earlier. The real estate agent explained that the previous owners used it to host charity events as well as a dining room as large as his own in the Dark Castle. She then showed him the study, the library (which was too small in his opinion) living room, sitting room and kitchen and laundry room before they started up the stairs.

 

"Mr. Gold...are you sure you want to…?"

 

"I can get up the stairs just fine, Ms. Franklin," he assured her. It would hurt like hell once he got to the top and he would have to rest a few minutes before they continued the tour. He made a mental note that if he purchased the house, he would invest in a lift that he would need to use during cold days when his leg ached so much he could barely move it. The real estate agent was kind enough to allow him to rest for a few minutes before they continued their tour of the second level. There were twelve bedrooms on the second floor, each with its own full bath, sitting room and walk in closets, more than enough rooms for his growing family with extra bedrooms in case they had guests stay over and each room had an entrance to the balcony.

 

She then took him to the third level of the house where there were three more bedrooms with full baths and sitting rooms. The other rooms on the level were empty but he was certain he or Belle could make use of them. Bae often mentioned that they should have a game room in the Victorian and he was still trying to figure out how to do another expansion on his house that wouldn't infuriate his neighbors. At least if he purchased this mansion, he would have plenty of room to accommodate everyone and everything. By the time the tour was finished his decision was made. The mansion was perfect and would be the perfect escape during the summer months.

 

"Ms. Franklin, do you have any appointments this afternoon?"

 

"No."

 

"If you don't mind, I'd like to come back with my family. I would like to purchase the house if they're in agreement and the price is reasonable given what I've seen."

 

"Wonderful."

 

"I'll ring you and let you know what time we'd like to be here."

 

When he returned to McDermott Manor Belle was waiting for him in the bedroom to show him all the items she bought for the new baby on her shopping spree with Beth.

 

"Sweetheart...ahhh…we can't take all that on the plane!"

 

"Umm...there's more."

 

"More? What did you do, buy out the whole store?"

 

"Are you upset, Rumple?" she asked worriedly.

 

"No, no...I'm just trying to decide how we're going to get all this back to Storybrooke...unless we don't need to."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Sweetheart, how would you feel about living here?"

 

"Well, it’s a beautiful place...but I'd never have my winters again," she said sadly.

 

"What about the summer months?"

 

"I think that would be lovely. Wait a moment...you've already thought of this, haven't you?"

 

He nodded. "I've found a house I feel is perfect. It's not in Miami but in a beach near here called Juno but I don't want to make a final decision until you've all seen the house."

 

"Can you afford it? Rumple, we'd need a mansion if you want all of us to stay here and those run in the millions!"

 

"You forget, dearie, I've accumulated three hundred years of wealth. The price of this house wouldn't even make a dent in our finances."

 

"Can we go today?"

 

"Of course. Let's round up the rest of this family and I'll call Ms. Franklin."

 

It took the rest of the family less than five minutes to decide the house was perfect. They would have to stay in the area until the closing, but they didn't mind at all as it gave them the opportunity to finish their vacation. Regina even thought about buying a house in the same area herself. She was still debating the issue while sitting out on the dock at McDermott Manor when she was joined by Tink.

 

"What good would a home as large as the one Rumple now has be without a large family to live in it," she said sadly.

 

"You still have a chance to make that happen. Remember your true love?"

 

"You said I ruined his life."

 

"Maybe there's a way to make it right."

 

"I doubt that if he's back in Storybrooke and I'm here." she said bitterly and lowered her head.

 

"True love knows no boundaries...look."

 

Regina raised her head and gasped in shock as she saw the missing piece of her heart that she'd sent out now glowing red. Her hand trembling, she reached out to grasp it and her true love now had a face and a name...one she knew well.

 

"Robin," she sobbed as she placed the piece back in her chest. "Oh, I wanted it to be you...I wanted it so much! Robin Lockhood was Leopold’s best knight…and mine for a time...until I drove him away and right into the arms of my own lady in waiting. He, like Sidney knew I was unhappy in my marriage and tried to get me to see that I could be happy with him but I only used him to fill the empty space in my bed after Leopold died...the same way I used Graham. Finally, he decided that he would leave the castle and he took Marian with him even though she was betrothed to Nottingham. The next thing I knew there was a band of thieves running rampant in the kingdom led by a man named Robin Hood and they only robbed my nobles. I placed a price on his head before the curse hit."

 

"What did you see when you held the piece of your heart in your hand?"

 

"He said…come home and we’ll make things right together."

 

"Then go to him,” Tink advised softly.

 

Excitement was heavy in the air as the members of the extended family traveled to their new homes in Juno Beach to spend the remaining weeks of the summer there before returning to Maine.

 

The Storybrooke residents arrived back in Maine at the beginning of September. Rumple drove his wife, Tinkerbell and Bae home in the Cadillac. Regina brought Henry home in her Mercedes. Emma, Snow and Charming in his truck while Diego, Channon, Victoria, Julianne and their teenagers followed them in a rental SVU that Rumple insisted on paying for. Emma called ahead to Storybrooke's town line where a guard station had been built in the months since they were gone and informed Leroy they would be returning with outsiders that could be trusted to enter. Once word reached the rest of Storybrooke, a welcoming party quickly assembled and prepared to meet them once they arrived in the town square.

 

"Welcome home and Welcome to Storybrooke!" a chorus of voices rang out as soon as they stepped out of their vehicles.

 

The Floridians looked at each other, thinking how much the small town looked like any other in America with the exception that it was inhabited by real live fairy tale characters that looked nothing like what they'd seen in the movies.

 

"Come here you two!" Ruby called out as she ran over to Rumple and Belle and threw her arms around them with Ariel close at her heels. "Congratulations! When are you due?"

 

"We'll be visiting the doctor this afternoon to find out," Rumple answered. "But first," he said as he walked over to Diego. "I'd like you all to meet my adopted son Diego Rivera and his friends; Channon McDermott, Julianne Womack and her daughter Angelina and Victoria Morgan and her son Andre."

 

"Your adopted son?" Blue asked. "But...I thought you only had one son."

 

"Now I have two," he said proudly as he wrapped his arm around Diego's shoulders. “And a third on the way.”

 

"Umm...Pop...who is she?"

 

"The Blue Fairy but here she's known as Mother Superior."

 

"Oh. Like Tink then."

 

"I'm sort of Tink's boss..." the fairy said with a laugh. “My real name is Galaluna but I go by Blue.”

 

"This is so cool," Angelina said to Henry.

 

"Tell me about it...and I live here with them."

 

"I know you all want to get settled in but I'm hosting a little welcome back party," Granny said. "And I don't know what the food's like in Florida but if you leave my place still hungry it's your own fault," she teased the Floridians.

 

"That sounds great. You coming, Pop?" Diego asked Rumple.

 

"Yes he is," Granny said firmly before he hand a chance to answer.

 

"This decor is lovely. Whose idea was it?" Channon murmured during their tour of Rumple’s shop.

 

"Mine and Zelena’s," Bae spoke up. "That's what I was back in New York...an interior designer. Papa told me before we left that he wanted to redesign the shop to make a space for Belle to have a bookshop and get out of the pawn business so we worked on these plans and put my brothers and sister in charge of getting them completed before we got home and he and I worked on most of the designs for Avonlea."

 

"We already have more people asking you do redo their houses and businesses, Bae. Is Avonlea the name of the house you have in Florida now?" Wendy asked Rumple.

 

"It certainly is and it's partially your home too now, dearie. Regina bought one next door called Rocinante.”

 

The Storybrooke residents, usually fearful of outsiders since the others that had come brought trouble in their wake found the Floridians to be unthreatening and were fascinated to learn more about their state that they couldn't find out through their computers, cellphones and tablets. Most of the information they gleaned from Julianne and Victoria's two teenagers and Channon and Diego. Julianne and Victoria were quiet most of the evening and as they were walking back to Granny's Bed and Breakfast, they took a detour and headed for Rumple's shop instead. While he sent Belle home to rest, he went to the shop for a few hours to finish sorting through the new items he had for sale.

 

"Ah, ladies what can I do for you?" he asked.

 

"We don't know if you can help us or not, but we'd like to ask you anyway," Julianne spoke up. "For years Vicki and I have been trying to find the kids' fathers but gotten nowhere. Then we remembered you telling us how you used magic to find Bae...and we were wondering if it might work on us."

 

"The device I have tracks a lost person using the blood of another with a blood connection to them. I would need a drop of blood from each of the children to get it to work. Can you bring them around to the shop tomorrow and we'll try it?"

 

Early the next day Julianne and Victoria returned to the shop with their teenagers. Diego and Channon accompanied them, wanting to see if the magic would work as well.

 

"Angelina, let's start with you," Rumple said. Just press your finger down on the needle and let one drop fall on the globe. The magic will do the rest."

 

"Okay," she murmured.

 

As the drop of blood fell on the globe it formed a map of the continent of Europe. Rumple glanced down at it. "The blood glows the darkest in England...one specific location."

 

"Does it give a name?"

 

"Not one that I've ever heard of...Mayford."

 

Channon gasped. "T...That's not possible!"

 

"Chan, what's wrong?" Diego asked worriedly.

 

"Channon, does this place have any significance to you?" Rumple inquired.

 

"It's the name of my cousin's old estate and David Molk’s...that place has been abandoned for centuries. We thought it was being haunted by Morgan Whitmore and his lover Bess Lawton but now that we know they’re alive, that’s not possible. Why would Angelina's father be there?" she asked Julianne.

 

"What is your cousin's name?"

 

"Colin Whitmore."

 

"He's Angelina's father!" Julianne cried. "Are you telling me you knew where he was all this time and you didn't tell me?!"

 

"I dinna ken he was Angelina's father...and neither does he." Channon defended.

 

"Well why hasn't he come to find me all these years?"

 

"He couldn't," Channon said sadly. "He's been in hiding...and that means that Andre's father is Drake Dennison, my cousin's best friend, isn't he Vicki?"

 

"Yes. Why is he in hiding, Channon?"

 

"Because he and Colin were both accused of being double agents and found out who the real double agent was. Before they could expose him, someone planted a bomb in Colin's car. They got away but they've been in hiding ever since."

 

"Double agents?! Are telling me they were James Bonds?"

 

"A lot less glamorous but yes, they both worked for MI6. And...they still love ye. They were going to go back to Florida with ye...until that car bomb...and it wasn't the first attempt either."

 

"Let's bring them back. Angelina and Andre have a right to see their fathers," Diego said.

 

“They’ve been pardoned…finally,” Channon mumbled.

Rumple waved his hand and a scroll appeared in it along with a vial filled with liquid. He handed it to Diego. "This is the same cloaking spell we have on this town. One you retrieve the childrens’ fathers cast this on their location, and it will shield it from anyone other than whom you wish to enter it."

 

"I don't know how to use magic..."

 

"You will. My heart memories will guide you or if you need me, call out to me and I can walk you through it."

 

"We…we don't know how to thank you," Julianne croaked.

 

"Bring those men back where they belong…their children have been without fathers long enough and Colin is family.”

 

While his father was helping his new brother and friends rebuild their lives, Bae now concentrated on rebuilding his own. Learning of Alexis’s death left him shaken and Tink felt it best that they put some distance between them.

 

“Tink, please!”

 

“You need time,” she said softly. “I love you and I think I always will be I don’t want to be what everyone calls a ‘rebound girl’.”

 

“We’ve been seeing each other for a year!”

 

“I know and I’ve always felt at distance with you. If it’s not Alexis, it’s Emma. Your true love is out there, Bae. You have to find out which one of us it is. I’ll never forget the good times we had, and I hope we can stay friends.”

 

“You’re talking like I’ve already decided….that it’s over.”

 

She didn’t want it to be but she wasn’t going to get her hopes up either. A few days after she’d talked to Regina, she performed the heart division spell on herself, discovering that she had a piece of her heart unclaimed. She sent it out, but it hadn’t returned to her. It was all the proof she needed. The piece didn’t belong to Bae but there was someone else out there waiting for her…if she could find him.

 

“Bae, I’d like to try something with you.”

 

“What?”

She pressed her hand against his chest. “May I?”

 

He nodded. She reached in and removed his heart slowly and recited the incantation. Bae was not surprised to learn that his heart too had divided into many pieces but there was one small fragment glowing white.

 

“What do I do with it?”

 

“Find out where it belongs,” she instructed.

 

He released it and instead of floating over to her the piece simply vanished.

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“What does your father always tell you? The heart shows truths the mind conceals and distorts. The love you have for me isn’t the same love you have for someone else. That piece belongs to your true love and…and…” Her eyes filled with tears. “it’s not me. It never was.”

 

“It’s a trick. It has to be.”

 

“No, it isn’t and we know it. You’ll always have that void in your life unless you find out who that heart piece belongs to.”

 

“But how will I know?”

 

She hugged him. “When it returns to you as part of someone else’s. It’s not Alexis, Bae or the spell wouldn’t have worked.”

 

“So what do we do now?” he asked worriedly.

 

“You need to find that missing piece of your heart as I need to find mine,” she replied. “I don’t know where mine will lead me, but I’ll follow it as long as I have to. That’s what you need to do but you will always be my friend.”

 

He sighed. Trying to explain their sudden breakup to everyone was not going to be easy. They’d been seeing each other for so long that everyone assumed they would eventually marry. Now it seemed it wasn’t in the cards.

 

“…Bae…Bae…BAELFIRE!” Zelena yelled, shaking him. He looked up from his sketching table. His cousin took one look at his haggard appearance and shook her head. He seemed fine when he returned to the office after his lunch with Tink the day before but now he looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “Talk to me, caro. What is bothering you? Did you and Tink have a fight?”

 

“We broke up,” he confessed. “I haven’t told Papa yet Zee so please don’t until I do it myself.”

 

“But what happened? You’ve been seeing each other for over a year. Does it have anything to do with that girl you found dead in Miami?”

 

“I don’t know,” he moaned. “Tink did the heart spell on herself and me and our heart pieces didn’t come back to each other. They just disappeared. She says that’s because we aren’t meant to be together.”

 

“And magic doesn’t lie? Bae, I’ve been a mage long enough to know that it does.”

 

“What if it’s not wrong? She says we have to find out who those heart pieces belong to, even if it takes years. Zee….I don’t know if I can do that.”

 

“Maybe you should talk to your father then. He would know what to do.”

 

“We need to finish these plans.”

 

“Angelo and I will finish them up. Now go talk to your father.”

 

Rumple and Belle were in the boutique portion of the shop when bae arrived, Belle holding storytime for all the children.

 

“Ooooh I know wa happen!” Hope exclaimed. Belle looked up from her book and shook her head at her daughter.

 

“Honey, please wait till Mommy reads it,” she pleaded.

 

“Yeah wanna hear Belle tell wa happen!” Junior Cain complained.

 

“Shhhh!” Amber and Andy frowned at their cousin.

 

Rumple, sensing his son was in distress, excused himself and led his son into the backroom of the pawnshop.

 

“I’m so sorry Bae,” he said softly. “But I’m afraid Tink is right. The missing piece of your heart doesn’t belong to her.”

 

“But you know who it does belong to, don’t you? You See everything.”

 

“With the Eye of Aramon, yes I can See more now than I did when I was the Dark One but there are still limits to how much of someone’s destiny I can interfere in. If you need an example of the price to be paid for meddling where you’re not meant to look no further than Ozmalita.”

 

“You didn’t answer my question.”

 

“Nor can I. The path is laid out for you, son but you have to choose which road to take.”

 

 _In your past lies your future Bae,_ Rumple thought, shielding his thoughts from his son’s mind. _That is the path you must take. Tallahassee._

“I’m starting to think I’m gonna spend the rest of my life finding it.”

 

“Maybe not.” Rumple reached into his chest and removed his own heart, gesturing to the piece in his palm. “Do you see the piece that belongs to me?”

 

He nodded. “It’s not just mine, son. I carry part of the mother I never knew with me…her memories. I would give almost anything to have known her, even if it was for a moment in time. I know you carry the memory of Alexis in your heart too Bae, but your heart is ready to love another again. It just didn’t lead you down the path you expected it to.”

 

“I’m thinking about going away for a week or so…clear my head.”

 

“Then do it. Henry will understand.”

 

“He’s a great kid….better than his old man.”

 

“You’re trying Bae. You have more time than I did. Remember that.”

 

“I know.”

 

And he was going to make every moment count.

 

For someone who was destined to bring back happy endings, Emma began to wonder if hers would be spending the rest of hers alone. She spent most of her time reconnecting with Henry and her lessons with Rumple and Regina but there were times when she found herself thinking about Bae and what might have been, more so when she saw Bae and Tink together. 

 

“I need to get away for a while,” she murmured.

 

Henry wasn’t surprised when his parents came to him to tell him that they were going away on trips. He’d seen his father and Tink drifting apart and Emma had been troubled since their trip to Vegas.

 

“They need to figure things out Henry,” Regina said to him when he expressed his concerns to her. Life was going well for her now that she and Robin were married, and she’d become a second mother to Roland. They surprised everyone by going away for a weekend in Vegas and coming back married. Rumple wasn’t pleased about it, wanting Regina to have a more traditional wedding but the former Evil Queen would hear none of it. At least he was able to give her decent reception at Granny’s.

**Tallahassee, Florida**

**Summer, 2013**

 

A week later Bae and Emma went away on their retreats, never knowing that they were headed for the same destination…Tallahassee. It had been years since Emma lived there but little had changed. While she was walking up to her room at the hotel she froze in her tracks when she saw Bae walking down the hall carrying his luggage.

 

“Wha…What are you doing here?” she gasped.

 

“Was gonna ask you the same question,” he said and set his suitcase down.

 

“I ahh….needed to get away and do some thinking.”

 

“So did I.”

 

She gaped at him. “You and Tink?”

 

He shook his head. “It’s over but we’re gonna stay friends.”

 

“I’m sorry Bae….I really am.”

 

“Thanks,” he mumbled, picked up his suitcase and continued walking down the hall. Once Emma was in her room, she called Regina.

 

“You knew and you didn’t tell me?”

 

“Tinkerbell is my friend too, Emma. Remember that. She’s bowing out gracefully to give you a chance. You mess up this time and forgive me if I don’t shed a tear if she and Bae get back together.”

 

“If it doesn’t work out with us…I would rather see him with her then spend the rest of his life mourning ghosts.”

 

“So, what are you gonna do?”

 

“Well, this is the place we promised each other we’d come to start over. We’re eleven years late but better late than never. How long did it take you to get Robin back?”

 

“Too long. Don’t wait as long as I did Emma.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

Emma wrestled with her conscience all morning and around dinnertime she put in a call to Bae’s room.

 

“Hey, you doing anything tonight?”

 

“I was just gonna watch TV. Why?”

 

“There’s a club in town I liked to go to while I lived here. Why don’t we go for a drink?”

 

“You lived here?” He nearly dropped the phone.

“Yeah for a while. Come on…we can go visit all my favorite haunts.”

 

“Ah, why not? I’ll meet you in the lobby around eight.”

 

True to his word Bae was waiting for Emma in the lobby when she came downstairs at eight PM.

 

“So, where we goin’?” he asked when they got in the taxi.

 

“This place I know on Lafayette. I loved it. The food is great, and so are the drinks and music.”

 

The club was already crowded when they arrived, but they managed to find an empty table in the back of the room. Emma ordered their drinks, Bae pleased that she still remembered what he wanted.

 

“Remember when we used to see who could get drunk the quickest?” she asked him when their drinks arrived.

 

Bae laughed. “You always did, Em. A real lightweight.”

 

“Hey, I wasn’t legal yet!”

 

“Well you are now so you’ve got no excuse!”

 

She slapped a twenty-dollar bill down on the table. “This says you get wasted before me.”

 

“You’re on!” he laid a bill down beside hers and took a long swig of his drink. They were keeping pace with each other before they finally decided to call a draw and headed out to the dance floor, the DJ playing a mix of tunes from the 80s and 90s.

 

“Remember the time we snuck into that club in Springfield?”

 

“How can I forget! I was scared shitless we’d get caught but the bouncer was too busy starin somewhere else to notice you were under 21.”

 

“You’re the one who told me to wear that skirt!”

 

“Worked, didn’t it?” he chuckled.

 

“Yeah but I’m more of a pants person than a dress person.”

 

“You still look great in them Em.”

 

“We had some great times, Bae….till Fate decided to be a bitch and split us up.”

 

“I know but we got a great kid out of it.”

 

“I really want to try again,” she confessed when Yaz’s Only You began to play.

_“All I needed was the love you gave_

_All I needed for another day_

_And all I ever knew_

_Only you…”_

“You were a tough act to follow,” she murmured. “I tried, I really did to find someone else, but they were never you. I know I shouldn’t be saying all these things now when you’re still getting over Tink…and Alexis….but had I spoken up sooner…”

 

“Let’s just take it slow this time, okay? I know it’s not what you wanted to hear but I don’t wanna mess up this time.”

 

“Neither do I.”

 

They danced until last call and called a taxi to take them back to the hotel, but neither was ready to end their evening yet.

 

“You wanna come in for a bit?” Emma asked him while they stood outside her room.

 

“Yeah, why not? At least if I get drunk I can just stagger back to my own room….or crash on the floor.”

 

“Do you remember the time you passed out in the shower at that place outside Portland?”

 

“Yeah and woke up with a roach crawling all over me!” Bae winced at the memory. “Good thing you saved it, or the cops would’ve busted us for paying for the place with a check that would bounce more than a superball!”

 

“We got out of paying for a lot of motel bills with that guy…till he escaped!”

 

“Yeah that was one of our best…so was the fake labor in the convenience stores.”

 

She grabbed a beer out of her refrigerator and handed it to him. “Thank God our kid doesn’t do that crap though he did steal his gramma’s credit card to find me.”

 

“At least he wasn’t running drugs.”

 

“Bae, you didn’t know.”

 

“I should’ve been more cautious. Roasch was a scumbag and I’m damn lucky I didn’t get myself killed though I came close!”

 

“Well he’s where he belongs now.”

 

He climbed up on the bed beside her. He should’ve gone back to his own room, but he was enjoying this time with her, it reminded him so much of their younger days. Those days were long gone yet he wanted a chance to relive them. They talked and talked until they could no longer keep their eyes open.

 

Emma awoke the next morning with a mild hangover and an ex in her bed, still fully dressed but an ex nonetheless and she didn’t mind it one bit. They had a great time at the club and after and she was hoping it wouldn’t be a fluke.

 

Bae groaned and sat up, his hand on his forehead.

 

“Now who’s the lightweight?” Emma teased.

 

He blinked several times and nearly fell off the bed when he realized where he was.

 

“Em! Oh shit! Did we…?”

 

“No, just got drunk and talked most of the night. Like I said to Hook, I’ve got Everlast iron underwear on and it’s gonna take a lot for me to take ‘em off for longer than a night.”

 

Bae burst out laughing. “They would’ve chafed his willie! Not that he would’ve gotten the reference anyway! He probably expected you to fall at his feet like my mother did.”

 

She snorted. “What the hell did she see in him anyway? He was a dick and thought with it.”

 

“She wanted a life of adventure and she got it. Hook tried to say she wanted to find me and bring me to sea with her, but it was a load of crap. She didn’t want to be a mother anymore than she wanted to be a wife. Belle’s more of a mother to me now, don’t care that she’s young enough to be my kid.”

 

“Well, let’s not spend all day moping about things we can’t change. We took this time to figure ourselves out and that’s what we’re gonna do…after you sleep off that hangover!”

 

“I better go back to my own room and do that. Call me later?”

 

“You better be awake Gold!” she threatened.

 

They spent the next two weeks going to the clubs, drinking, dancing and talking. For Emma it was as if they’d gone back in time and the heartaches of the last eleven years were beginning to fade while they made new memories. Regina called her several times to check on her progress pleased with what she was hearing.

 

“It’s just a matter of time Henry,” she said to her son.

 

“For what?”

 

“For the missing pieces of their hearts to go back where they belong.”

 

“I hope so. What about Tink?”

 

“Her heart will find its missing piece the time the realms unite.”

 

“The time the realms unite…Grampa’s said that a few times. What does it mean?”

“I don’t know….neither does he but he thinks another battle is coming and one of the other five realms may be involved.”

 

“Hopefully we have peace until then.”

 

**Tallahassee, Florida**

**Summer 2013**

In the weeks they’d spent together, the subject of spending the night was rarely mentioned. They both knew it was not a step they wanted to take too soon, nor had they all those years ago but now they felt they were ready again. Once they were alone in Emma’s room, they were stunned to see two glowing white orbs hovering in front of them. Without hesitation Emma took the one closest to her in her hands.

 

“ _See as I see_

_Feel as I feel_

_Let our two hearts become one_

_Not even in death shall this bond be undone_ ,” she recited. “Baelfire Strogoff-Gold,” she murmured and released it. It floated over to Bae and vanished.

Bae cupped the piece in front of him in his own hands, smiling.

 

“ _See as I see_

_Feel as I feel_

_Let our two hearts become one_

_Not even in death shall this bond be undone_ ….Emma Swan.”

 

Tears streamed down Emma’s cheeks as the piece floated over to her and vanished.

 

“Nothing’s gonna tear us apart again Em,” he vowed.

 

“I love you Bae. I always have,” she confessed through her tears.

 

“And I’ve always loved you Em.” He reached into his pocket and took out a black velvet box. She opened it and saw a ring inside the case, the diamond in the shape of a swan. “Will you marry me?”

 

“Yes! Yes!” she screamed and leaped into his arms, sending them tumbling onto the bed. They had found their Tallahassee at last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	10. Dual Nuptials, The Wrath of Rumple

**Juno Beach, Florida**

**Spring, 2014**

"Remind me again why I have to wear this thing?" Rumple complained as he tugged at the red silk bow tie that felt more like a noose around his neck. Belle giggled from her place on the edge of the bed in their summer home's master bedroom.

"You wear ties all the time. Why does this one bother you?" she asked.

"Because it feels like a bloody noose, that's why," he grumbled while he fastened the last two buttons on the red silk vest he wore beneath his black jacket. "I can only imagine the complaints my sons are making right now since neither one of them enjoys dressing formally."

Belle rose and smoothed out the wrinkles in the skirt of the strapless red silk gown she wore. Although her husband preferred seeing her in blue, the gown she wore accented her curves perfectly. The dress required several fittings before it was comfortable enough for the once again expecting mother.

A loud wail sounded from the playpen beside the bed. Rumple chuckled and reached down to pick up his furious daughter. "Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the playpen," he murmured as he kissed her forehead. "Today is a happy day, Hope, my sweetheart. Your brothers are getting married so can you put on a pretty smile for me?" The child quieted down, her small lips forming a faint smile.

"I don't know how you do that. It takes me hours it seems to get her to calm down but she does it immediately for you," Belle remarked. "She's definitely Daddy's girl."

"Yes you are," he cooed to the toddler. "And any day now you'll get to see your little brother Nathaniel," he said as his shifted Hope to one arm and caressed his wife's belly.

"I have a feeling our son is going to be the complete opposite of his sister if this pregnancy is any indication. Every woman we know tells me they've never seen such a quiet baby. If I didn't know any better I'd think he's been in there reading books the whole time."

Rumple chuckled. "It wouldn't surprise me. It's this little imp that is going to put more gray on my head especially when she starts dating and we've already seen the chaos she causes with magic when she puts her mind to it."

"We have a while yet for the dating nightmare."

"Thank the gods," he muttered. "Let's get going before Bae and Diego wear holes in my floors."

The two grooms waited at the bottom of the staircase. Bae wore a black silk tuxedo with a red vest and tie that matched his father's while Diego was in his officer's uniform. The rest of the wedding party was gathered in the sitting room and the guests were waiting out in the gardens, the majority being from Storybrooke while only a small number came from Miami and Juno as the Golds were still integrating into society in both places.

"You're not ready to pass out, are you lads?" Rumple teased.

"Aww, knock it off Pop!" Diego moaned. "I'm gonna screw up...I know it."

"He's not good at public speaking and is scared to death he'll mess up his vows." Bae spoke up. "I'm good."

"Well as soon as everyone else gets in here we can get started."

"We're coming," Regina said as she emerged from the sitting room with Henry. There had been much debate over who would stand up with Bae at the altar. Both Darling brothers wanted the honor and nearly came to blows over it until Rumple placed them both in a bubble and made them stay there until they fought it out but Bae ended any debate by deciding that his son should be the one with him and Emma wanted no other matron of honor than her best friend Regina. Minutes later Diego's best man Brian Matheson came out with Julianne, who was her matron of honor. Diego knew it still broke his bride to be's heart that it would not be Alexis standing with her as she always wanted and Julianne assured her Alexis would be there in spirit.

As the wedding party gathered, Belle couldn't help thinking about her own wedding. The only dark spot had been her father's refusal to give her away or even attend the wedding. She'd been prepared to walk down the aisle alone when Eric and Ariel stepped in to do the honors. Fortunately, her daughters-in-law had plenty of family to represent them.

"Come on Hope, Mama and Daddy have to get your brothers married," Granny said softly as she took the baby from Rumple's arms while Pinocchio held Ariel and Eric's daughter Melody. Belle and Rumple were expecting their child to throw one of her tantrums until she saw Melody nestled in Pinocchio's arms. The two babies enjoyed being together from the moment they were born. Rumple and Belle kissed their daughter and Granny and Pinocchio went out to the garden to take their seats.

"All right, lads. Let's get going," Rumple said to his sons as he linked his arm through his wife's and walked out to the garden. Jefferson, acting as announcer for the wedding stood near the altar to explain who was who to the mixed audience while Leroy and Sneezy were acting as ushers.

"Grandmother of our second bride Channon McDermott, Mrs. Fiona McDermott," he announced as Sneezy led the elderly lady down the carpeted pathway to her seat in the front row while Leroy took his place beside Rumple and Belle. They arrived from Scotland two days earlier and hadn't had a chance to meet the Golds yet although Channon had explained what they were. The McDermotts were used to keeping secrets and finding out they were among a group of real live fairy tale characters hadn't fazed them.

"Shall we?" he asked the couple.

"Lead the way Grumpy," Belle said with a smile.

"Father and stepmother of our grooms Baelfire Gold and Diego Rivera, Rumplestiltskin and Belle Gold."

"Mrs. McDermott," Rumple greeted his future in-law warmly.

"Call me Fiona, lad," she corrected as she grabbed him and kissed his cheek.

"Lad? Madam, I'm three hundred years older than you are!" he exclaimed and laughed.

"You still look like a lad to me," the elderly woman teased. "And a handsome one at that. If you weren't already taken...my apologies lassie," she added to Belle who was giggling.

Great gods in Heaven, even Channon's grandmother is flirting with me!

"I've gotten used to it Fiona," Belle said.

"Well, he's handsome and..virile...two children in four years. Not lacking in the bedroom department, eh lassie?" she asked Belle who blushed.

Rumple buried his face in his hands and shook his head in disbelief. "I'm in hell," he muttered. "Just do me a favor and keep your hands to yourself you saucy old wench!"

Fiona snorted. "Lad, if I want to check out the goods, I'll check out the goods...or I'll just ask your wife. I'm old but not dead yet. I can still have a good roll in the sheets when I get the urge."

"What in the hell have I gotten myself into?" he moaned.

"Mother of our bride Channon McDermott, Miss Catriona McDermott," Jefferson announced while Sneezy brought Catriona McDermott over to her chair beside Fiona.

"Mum, why does Rum look like he wants to crawl in a hole?" Catriona demanded of her mother. Fiona cackled.

"Your mother's flirting with him," Belle giggled.

"Mum! You could've waited for me!" Catriona protested.

"Oh no...no no..no! What is it with the women in your family!" Rumple growled at Fiona.

"Well, wouldn't be the first time we've shared a man, eh Cattie my girl? And we are proud whores," she reminded him.

"Aye," Catriona agreed and smirked. "Only my daughter won't share that fine specimen she's marrying, dammit all."

"Wonders never cease," Rumple muttered.

"Mother of our bride Emma, Snow White," Jefferson announced as Leroy escorted Snow to her seat.

"Did I miss something?" she asked Belle who was still chuckling.

"Don't ask," Rumple hissed.

Bae and Diego walked out to the front of the aisle with the pastor and waited for the rest of the wedding party to enter. They would alternate between pairs from Bae's party then Diego's.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Emma and groom Baelfire Gold, Miss Wendy Darling escorted by Mr. Michael Darling and Mr Jonathan Darling."

Rumple and Belle glanced back at the pair, beaming with pride as the siblings walked up the path to stand on Bae's side.

"Thank God we found some place for those boys in the wedding party or we would've had a brawl on our hands," Rumple whispered to his wife.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Channon McDermott and groom Diego Rivera, Mrs. Elizabeth Molk escorted by Mr. Jonathan Darling," Jefferson announced as Beth and Michael followed his brother and Wendy down the path to stand on Diego's side.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Emma and Baelfire Gold, Azkadellia Hopper escorted by Mr. Archie Hopper."

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Channon McDermott and Diego Rivera, Mrs. Victoria Dennison escorted by Mr. Drake Dennison." Belle glanced over at the man Channon once described as the love of her life and the father of Victoria's teenage son. Victoria and Julianne managed to locate the fathers of their children with Rumple's help, unaware they had a connection to Channon's family or that they were former MI6 agents in hiding after being falsely accused of treason.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Emma and Baelfire Gold, Miss Ruby Lucas, escorted by Dr Victor Whale."

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Channon McDermott and Diego Rivera, Mrs. Melanie Willis escorted by Mr. Colin Whitmore," Jefferson announced as the spouses of Channon's matron of honor and Diego's best man entered together.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Emma and Baelfire Gold, Mrs. DG Cain escorted by Mr. Wyatt Cain."

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Channon McDermott and Diego Rivera, Miss Angelina Whitmore escorted by Mr. Andre Dennison." Julianne and Victoria's teenagers were the youngest bridesmaid and groomsman, their parents watching with pride as they moved into their positions on the McDermott/Rivera side of the wedding party.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Emma and Baelfire Gold, Mrs Ariel Willamett and Mr. Eric Williamet." The former mermaid and her prince also waved to Rumple and Belle and their daughter who had fallen asleep on Pinocchio's shoulder and joined their group.

The final bridesmaid and groomsman were from Diego and Channon's wedding party. Belle smiled as she watched Miranda Santanna walk up the aisle on the arm of her husband Thomas Matheson. Miranda would also be singing at the reception much to her pleasure and she already knew what song she wanted to hear as she danced with Rumple.

"Matron of Honor of bride Emma, Miss Regina Mills escorted by Best Man of Baelfire Strogoff Gold, Mr. Henry Mills Strogoff-Gold!" Jefferson announced as Henry led his mother over to her position on Emma's side of the altar while he took his place beside his father.

"Rumple, are you crying?" Belle asked softly as she heard her husband sniffling.

"Have something in my eyes," he lied then reached into his pocket for his handkerchief and wiped tears from his eyes before his wife could see them but she had and clasped his hand in hers.

"And that is your answer why we find this man so irresistable lassie," Fiona said Belle. "Most men you'd have to kick in the ballocks to get to show any emotion. "Here lad, use mine," Fiona said and handed Rumple her handkerchief. "Be needing that back once our wee Channon comes in."

"Matron of Honor of bride Channon McDermott, Mrs Julianne Whitmore, escorted by Best Man of groom Diego Rivera, Mr. Brian Matheson." Julianne and Brian took their places on Channon and Diego's side of the altar, Brian patting his friend's shoulder in support.

"Diego looks like he wants to faint," Fiona whispered to Rumple. "You got any mumbo jumbo you can use to calm him a bit, lad?"

"I'll have to keep it simple or we'll have a passed out groom and an angry bride," he said and waved his hand to send a mild calming spell to his adoptive son who seemed to relax a bit.

"I woulda given 'im a shot of good ole Irish whiskey," Catriona said and chuckled. "Right, Mum?"

Fiona swatted her daughter. "Just because your da was half sauced at our wedding doesn't mean we have to repeat tradition! Please tell me you at least had enough common sense to be sober at your wedding?" she demanded of Rumple.

"Was too nervous to drink," he confessed. "Can't say the same for Bae though. Had a devil of a hangover the next morning because he drank enough for both of us."

The last three people to enter were Grace Hatter and the Zimmerman twins. The girls were the flower girls for both wedding parties and Hansel was acting as their ring bearer.

Blue stood up and the rest of the wedding guests followed suit as the traditional wedding march began to play.

"Our first bride, Miss Emma Swan, escorted by her father, David Nolan...otherwise known as Prince Charming!" With her arm linked through her father's Emma came down the aisle first in a strapless silk and lace red gown with a short skirt. They stopped behind Bae. Blue moved to stand beside her former apprentice.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?"

"Her mother and I do," Charming announced and placed her hand in Bae's. Snow kissed her cheek and then returned to their seats. Rumple handed Fiona her handkerchief back when he saw the tears in her eyes as she and her daughter heard their family's piper playing the clan's anthem "White Rose of Perth" on his bagpies.

"Our second bride Miss Channon McDermott escorted by Mr David Molk," Jefferson announced as Channon walked down the aisle with the patriarch of the Whitmore-McDermott Clan. Even Rumple became emotional hearing the bagpipes because his curse memories had given him ties to Scotland. David wore a kilt while Channon had a tartan made of the clan's colors draped over her fifteenth century styled wedding gown. Catriona patted her mother's arm and went to stand on the other side of her daughter.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?"

"Her mother, grandmother and I do," David announced while Catriona lifted her daughter's veil and David placed her hand in Diego's. Catriona returned to her seat, laughing through her own tears while her mother was weeping on Rumple's shoulder while he patted her back.

"Mum, you're not fooling me one bit. You just wanted an excuse to cozy up!" Catriona chastised. Fiona looked up and glared over at her daughter.

"Not like you wouldn't missy!" she retorted. "And that cologne he's wearing..."

"I know," Belle murmured as she rested her head on his other shoulder and indulged in her own wicked thoughts that she planned to act on after the baby was born.

"Ohhh that man of mine looks dazzling in the kilt," Beth murmured. "He'll be wearing it again."

"Why me?" Rumple moaned, grateful his sons were too entranced with their brides to notice that the three women he was sitting with were ogling him like a rooster in a henhouse. Belle's attentions he enjoyed while he wanted to run and hide from the McDermott wenches. Guests, however, had noticed and were concealing snickers behind their hands. He was never going to live this down. He dreaded the photographic evidence popping up on Facebook the next morning. He quickly detached Fiona from his shoulder so that he could pay attention to the rest of the ceremony much to her disappointment.

"Ladies and gentleman...I give you Mr. and Mrs. Baelfire Gold and Mr. and Mrs. Diego Rivera!" the pastor announced as the newly married couples faced the congregation. Rumple and Belle rose from their seats and embraced Bae and Tink first.

"Thank the gods I'm free from those two!" he exclaimed.

"What did we miss?" Bae inquired.

"Oh, let's just say flirting with Rumple seems to be a McDermott family trait," Belle chuckled.

"What? Who? Channon's mother or her grandmother?"

"Both," Rumple and Belle said in unison.

"Both?!" Emma and Bae exclaimed, laughing themselves.

"What's so funny over here?" Diego asked as he approached them with Channon on his arm.

"Papa had to fend off Catriona and Fiona," Bae answered.

Channon beamed. "Whaddya know, Grammy still has it in her. Oh and Rum...watch your ass. I mean it literally."

"Why?" he asked, dreading what her answer would be. He had his answer when he felt someone giving him a hard smack on his backside and turned to face a grinning Fiona.

"Do you mind?" he cried. Belle buried her face in his shoulder and laughed again.

"You and that nice backside of yours owe me a dance," she said and walked over to Diego, swatting his. "Ummm...yours too. Now let's see if it runs in the family...oh it does! You too lad!" she said to Bae after he received his own smack while their wives had tears streaming down their cheeks as they laughed.

"Shameless old wench!" Rumple muttered.

"Oh Cattie! Come here love!" Fiona called to her daughter.

All three men thrust their hands behind their backs to cover their bottoms, knowing exactly what the elderly woman had planned. Channon glanced over at Emma and Belle who nodded and moved behind their husbands to move their hands, giving Catriona a clear shot.

"What the...Belle don't you even...!"

"Emma!"

"Channon!"

"Here ya go Mum!" Channon announced. Catriona grinned and stepped up to each man, smacking him.

"Why don't you the rest of the men," Rumple growled.

"Oh we will...but you owe me a dance too...all of you do," Catriona said. "C'mon Mum! Let's go get us some booty!"

"Booty?" Belle giggled.

"Ummm...don't you think we should warn them first?" Diego asked as they watched the two women approach Wyatt.

"No. I am going to enjoy this," Rumple said and grinned evilly.

Wyatt was in a deep conversation with David when he felt a hard smack on his backside.

"What in Ozma's name!?"

He spun around to face the elderly woman who was supposed to be Channon's grandmother however, she still looked young. She stood with Channon's mother. The two of them looked like sisters.

"Have at it, Cattie my girl!" Catriona smacked him a bit harder.

"You pack quite a wallop!" Wyatt laughed. "But shouldn't we be introduced first? Sheriff Wyatt Cain."

"Soooo my boy, are we going to have a dance with you and your lovely booty this evening?" Fiona asked.

He blushed. "Ummmm, I guess so!" he glanced over at his wife.

"Ah go for it Tin Man!"

"Wonderful...your turn princey boy!" Fiona said as she approached Charming and smacked him. Catriona followed suit.

"Ummm...yikes! I...youch...!"

"No dance with this one, Cattie. Too much of a softie, I like a firm one with a little spice like those Gold men and our Sheriff here." Fiona said and they walked away. Wyatt sniggered while Charming glared at him.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked as she and Snow approached them chuckling.

"You've just met the 'Backside Bandits'," Channon said as she and the rest of the Gold/Rivera clan joined them.

"Backside Bandits?"

"Back in Scotland when they recruit men for the house they make their decisions based on how firm their butts are," Channon explained.

"Now they're going for Robin Hood...better go warn Regina before she roasts 'em!" Tink said as she dashed over to her friend and whispered in her ear. The former Evil Queen threw back her head and laughed hysterically when she saw her boyfriend get corned by the McDermott women and smacked. "What's the verdict, ladies?" she called out while the former thief wanted to hide in the palm trees.

"He'll do," Catriona called back.

"Well if they would get done molesting every adult male here, we could get the reception started," Rumple muttered.

"You gotta admit, it is kinda funny Pop." Diego teased. His father glared at him.

As they were walking into the ballroom Belle gasped as she felt a sharp pain in her lower back.

"Belle, is something wrong my sweetheart?" Rumple asked worriedly.

"No, no...it was nothing...just a little pain that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," she insisted as they sat down. While they waited for the brides and grooms to enter she felt another sharp pain and reached for her husband's hand. "Rumple..." she moaned. "I...I think it's time."

"Time for...that time?!" he cried.

"Yesss..." she groaned through her pain.

"Henry!" he called out. His grandson ran over to their table.

"What's going on Grandpa?"

"Belle's having your uncle and I have to take her to the hospital. Can you make our excuses to your father and Uncle Diego please and tell Granny she may need to keep Hope a bit longer?" Rumple asked as he helped his wife to her feet.

"Rumple, you shouldn't be driving her there yourself," Regina said as she approached them.

"And just what do you suggest, dearie?" he asked sarcastically. "We can't just pop in!"

"Rumple!" Belle wailed. "If you don't quit stalling I'm going to end up having our son right here and I am not thrilled with that idea!"

"Grandpa, Jimmy's got the car running so you and Belle are going in the limo and Dad said he and Uncle Diego are gonna go ahead of you in his car with the siren on so people get outta the way," Henry explained when he returned.

"Your father and uncle should stay here with their brides and their guests!" Rumple snapped.

"You're not talking us out of it, Papa," Bae insisted as he and Diego escorted the couple out to the limo with their brides close behind.

"You get us to the hospital quickly but in one piece Jimmy or so help me you will become a snail!" Rumple hissed at their driver. Jimmy chuckled.

"Rumple...quit being such a...ahhhh...beast and get in this car!" Belle shouted. "Oh gods..why did I let you do this to me...again!?" she moaned once they were in the limo and speeding off toward the hospital.

"You had no objections at the time, my sweetheart."

She glared at him. "You had the easy part. Next time I am gonna find a spell that will make you have it, not me!"

"Oh you can try dearie but there's no spell in the world that will allow a man to deliver a baby."

"Ooohhhhhh Nathaniel you were so quiet all these...why do you have to be difficult now?"

"Belle, sweetheart, try not to talk."

"You keep quiet!" she barked.

He should have been prepared, she was worse when she was delivering Hope mostly because it was her first time giving birth and what happened was nothing like she'd read in her books, lasting ten hours and their child's magic was already manifesting itself. He was hoping their son would take pity on them and not take as long being born.

"Rumple...my water just broke!" she cried.

"Jimmy for the love of God, hurry the hell up! I don't want to be delivering my son myself!" he snarled.

"Almost there, Mr. Gold."

By the time they got her settled in the delivery room Belle's contractions were closer together and more intense. She looked at her husband, her blue eyes pleading with him to use his magic to help her but as before he knew using magic on a pregnant woman was dangerous. He could only stay by her side, hold her hand and whisper words of encouragement in her ear. It was its own form of magic and as if their son heard his mother's thoughts, he decided not to keep her in agony for long. Less than three hours after her labor started Nathaniel Robert Gold made his entrance with a small cry.

"In the twenty years I've been in practice this has to be the quietest newborn I've ever heard," the doctor said as he handed the baby to the nurse to clean. Belle and Rumple laughed through their tears remembering their daughter's far more dramatic entrance.

"Oh, our first was bit louder," Rumple quipped.

"And here he is," the nurse said softly as she placed Nathan into his mother's arms while Rumple leaned over and kissed his wife.

"I love you," he whispered. "And I love you too Nathaniel."

All the new parents wanted to do when they returned home was fall into bed and sleep for at least a day even though it would not be possible with two young children in the house. Rumple was used to being awakened at all hours by a screaming infant while Belle was still adjusting to it. Most of the time Rumple was already in the room and had their daughter reasonably calm by the time she walked in but she refused to go to sleep until she heard her mother's voice telling her a story while walking her around the room. They decided that if they wanted another child they would wait until Hope and Nathaniel were a bit older or just be content spoiling the grandchildren they expected their older children to provide them with as well as spending more time with the one they already had.

Jimmy unlocked the front door while Rumple escorted his wife and their son into the house. As they entered the living room, he froze in place, his cane crashed to the floor and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at the sight that met his eyes.

"What...?" Belle whispered.

"Sweetheart, go on upstairs. I'll take care of this," he hissed.

"But..."

"Go on!"

Belle cradled the baby against her chest and and went upstairs to their bedroom. Granny Lucas was asleep in a chair beside Hope's playpen. Belle placed Nathaniel in the empty crib beside his sister's playpen and gently shook the older woman awake.

"Thank you for looking after her for us, Granny," she said softly.

"It was no trouble at all. You go on and get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on you until Rum comes up. Where is he by the way?"

"He has a situation to take care of downstairs and thankfully the walls in this room are thick because we won't have to hear him once he starts yelling," Belle muttered as she crawled under the covers. "And they'll get no sympathy from me either."

'WHAT THE HELL DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO MY HOUSE?!" Rumple roared at the group of people passed out in various places in his living room and the living room itself in disarray. Robin was the first to awaken and lowered his head sheepishly as he addressed the sorcerer who'd once tried to wipe the floor with him for stealing a wand.

"Ummm..we made a bit of a mess none of us were...ahhh...in any condition to clean up."

"My living room looks like a goddam frat house during rush week! I want all you sons of bitches up off your asses and putting this room back the way it was or so help me God I'll turn you into the pigs you've made of yourselves!"

"Can't turn me into one," Regina muttered from her place beside the former thief.

"Don't count on it, Regina! Now get up!"

"What's all the commotion, lad...Good God in Heaven, what a mess!" Fiona exclaimed as she came up behind him with her daughter close at her heels. "Not to worry lad, I'll get these lazy asses moving without you having to tire yourself zapping 'em." Fiona said to Rumple who was angry enough to unleash the Dark One for an encore. "Cattie my girl, did you happen to bring The Bruiser?" she asked her daughter. Catriona smirked.

"That I did, Mum. Not quite what I had in mind to use it for but I'll get it."

"What's The Bruiser?" Rumple asked.

"You'll see lad, you'll see," the older woman said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Catriona returned minutes later holding a thick wooden paddle in her hands and handed it to her mother. Fiona smirked at the sorcerer as she smacked the paddle in her palm. "Now then lad, here is how this old lass administers some discipline. May need you to put in a few wallops for me if my hand gets tired, Cattie."

"Right behind you, Mum."

Rumple watched with a mixture of shock and amusement as the two women sauntered over to where Diego and Channon lay. Catriona turned him over while Fiona gave him a hard smack with the paddle.

"Owwww!" Diego howled as he jumped to his feet and rubbed his backside. "I'm not ten anymore!"

"Well, you were acting like it. Now you grab some rags and a bucket of soap and water and start scrubbing the shite off these walls or you'll sporting blisters on your arse. You too Channon!" she snapped at his wife who quickly got up. Hearing the commotion, various other members of the wedding party started waking up and got moving once they saw Fiona coming toward them with the paddle.

"Fiona, do you mind if I borrow this?" Rumple asked, indicating the paddle.

"Have at it, lad."

Rumple walked over to where Bae lay on the floor on his side snoring. He raised the paddle and smacked Bae's backside hard.

"Owww what the...dammit Papa, I'm not a kid anymore!" he protested as he rubbed his sore backside.

"No but you'll wish you were never born! Now get your ass up and scrub your mess off my walls and carpets! You too, dearie!" he snapped at Emma.

"Huh? Wha...?" she moaned.

"Get up!" Rumple snarled.

The young woman sat up slowly and gasped in shock. "Ohhhh shit," she moaned as she surveyed the mess. It wasn't as bad when she passed out during a game of truth or dare with Robin, Bae and Regina but it quickly went from bad to complete disaster quickly. She glanced over at the coffee table and saw the scratches from hers and Regina's heels when they did a strip dance on it on a dare from Bae, hoping she was sober enough to use a spell that would make them vanish before Rumple had a chance to see them. She also had to find her bra and panties...God only knew where they ended up. They had to be with Regina's somewhere and the sooner she found them the better because it was too damned drafty in just her bridesmaid's dress!

She crawled over to where Regina lay and shook her. "Gina, c'mon, we gotta get up!"

"Noooo..."

"Come on dammit, we have to and find...you know what!"

The former Evil Queen's eyes opened. "Oh shit...I don't remember where I...oh my God!" she gasped when she looked up.

"Who do these belong to and why the hell aren't they on your bodies?!" Rumple barked as he held up two strapless bras with one hand and pointed to a lamp where two pairs of panties hung. Every other newly awakened female in the room issued a quick denial of ownership. Rumple walked over to where Emma and Regina were sitting and dropped the bras in their laps, their silence labeling them the guilty parties. "You, I expect this kind of behavior from," he said as he pointed at Regina. "You, on the other hand, Miss Swan, need not follow her example! You can collect the rest of your undergarments yourselves because I am not touching them!" he added as he walked away.

"You look like you're about to pass out, lad. Go on up to bed with your lassie and me and Cattie will keep these twits in line," Fiona said softly.

Rumple chuckled. "Oh I have no doubt of that."

"And by the way...I will be getting a dance from you and that backside of yours before I go back to Scotland."

"I'll make you deal...if you can get these assholes to put my house back in order I'll give you and your daughter two dances each...and in one of my old outfits since I hear you have a fondness for a man in leather."

She grinned. "Nice incentive there, lad. Very well, I accept."

"And the deal is struck," he said as he shook her hand and left the room.

"Ohhhh Cattie," Fiona called out.

"Yes, Mum?"

"We've been promised two dances each from the man who has the best backside in this house in leather if we can get these twits to make this place look like it was before the bomb went off so let's make sure they follow through."

"Don't worry...they will," Catriona threatened as she smacked the paddle in her palm. "I see people slacking over there!" she yelled. "Get scrubbing or you'll be getting well accquainted with The Bruiser here!"

"What's all the yelling about?" Archie asked when he and Az came downstairs.

"Oh Holy Jesus," Beth exclaimed.

"Oh boy! Someone's in trouble!" David added.

"Deege, Ambrose, Wyatt, what the hell?" Az demanded of her sister, brother-in-law and friend when she saw them frantically scrubbing stains off the walls.

"Ummm...the party kinda ran late," DG said sheepishly.

"Really late...OWW!" Ambrose yelped.

"Less talkie more scrubbie, lad!" Fiona growled, waving the paddle in his face.

"This is cruel and unusual..."

"Zipperhead, do the smart thing and zip it!" Wyatt snapped.

"Bite me..."

"She's comin back, both of you...shut up!" DG cried.

"I guess we'll leave you all to it," David chuckled. "Some of us were smart enough to go to bed after the reception, right Archie?"

"My conscience is clear," Archie replied with a smirk. Regina flipped him off before she got smacked again.

"Queenie, I wanna see those dainty hands calloused before lunch!"

"Oh they will be," she muttered.

Belle awoke when she heard her husband enter their bedroom.

"Did you turn them all into the pigs they are?" she asked angrily. "Food all over the floor and walls...beer cans...beer bottles...this house is not a zoo!"

"Be grateful you didn't see the panties on the lamp."

"What?!" she screamed, waking both of the children. She jumped out of bed and picked up Nathaniel while Rumple picked up Hope. They sat down on the bed with the children in their arms. "Mommy's sorry she yelled. She's just mad as hell at the idiots downstairs who made our home a mess. Thankfully some of them didn't participate."

"Snow and Charming will be having a talk with their daughter. I think our sons learned their lessons."

"So what did you do to them?"

"I unleashed the Backside Bandits on them all...except for Bae. I walloped his ass myself." He laughed. "They actually have a paddle they call The Bruiser...and I promised them if they make those idiots get the house back to what it was, I'd give them two dances in my gray and black leather outfit."

"Mmmm...even I'd want a dance with you in that...before I took it off. You do have it here, don't you?"

"It'll be arranged because if I know those two, they'll come though."

"They can have their two dances but you're mine afterwards."

"I always am." Suddenly he felt a sharp tug on his hair and glanced down at Hope. She was pointing at Nathaniel.

"Nate?" she asked.

Her parents smiled. In the last three months of Belle's pregnancy they'd been working with Hope to try to get her to pronounce her brother's name. Nathaniel was too difficult for to say so they decided to teach her the shortened version of it. "That's right, sweetie. This is Nate," Belle said.

"Nate play?" she asked hopefully.

"Not yet honey...he's too small right now but you'll be playing soon enough."

She frowned. "Play with Mel?"

"She may not be awake yet, sweetheart," Rumple said.

"Wanna play!" she wailed, her emotions causing her magic to react and items from Belle's dresser started floating in the air and crashing against the wall. The child grinned. "Play now."

"Hope, stop it!" her father said firmly only to find that there was a bottle of baby power being shaken over his head. He sneezed as he inhaled some of the powder.

"Daddy have snow!" she declared, clapping her hands.

"Hope! Stop it..now!" Belle commanded and soon found herself being sprinkled with baby powder. Rumple waved his hand and the powder covering them vanished and all the items were returned to the dresser. Hope glared at him.

"No fair."

"Oh yes it is, missy and don't sit there and act like you don't understand me. You may be in a child's body right now but I know your mind is more developed and I want it to understand this: you are not to use magic against anyone in this family."

"No poof..." She waved her hand in the same way he did. "On Mommy...Nate...or Daddy?"

He shook his head. "That's right...no magic."

"Price?"

"Yes. It comes with a price and sometimes it hurts."

"Okay. I not do it. You mad?"

"No, I'm not mad." he said as he hugged her.

"Mommy mad?"

"No sweetie," Belle replied and kissed her cheek then returned a sleeping Nathaniel to his crib. She looked over at her husband. He could barely keep awake himself and trying to convince their daughter to go back to sleep was next to impossible once she was woken up. He decided to try to see if Ariel and Melody were awake. Luckily they were and Hope ran to her friend as soon as she was set on her feet. By the time Rumple returned to the room Belle was already asleep and as soon as his head touched the pillow so was he.

"Now then, this is what this room should look like," Fiona said with her hands on her hips as she and Catriona glared at the exhausted members of the cleanup crew. It had taken them most of the day and for two of them, quite a lot of magic, but the living room was restored to its former glory. "Be lucky you lot aren't in Scotland because my house is much harder to clean. You can go sleep your hangovers off now but if I found out your rooms look like this...well...you get the idea." she said as she held up the paddle. They all glared at her as they left the room and retreated to their bedrooms. The two women sat down on the love seat, poured themselves a drink and turned on the television, falling asleep themselves.

Fiona felt someone shaking her shoulder gently and gazed into Rumple's brown eyes.

"I believe I owe you two dances."

She looked down and saw him wearing a pair of silk pajamas. "Where's the leather, lad?"

He waved his hand and was now dressed in his grey and black leather suit.

"Is that what you looked like where you're from?" she asked, unable to resist staring as did her daughter.

"Close. When he was fully under his curse, his skin was almost reptilian and he usually wore brown leather and silk shirts," Belle explained.

"Lassie, I don't know how you are able to stand there so calmly when I would have thrown him to the floor and had my way with him by now."

Belle giggled. "Oh, there'll be time for that but he has a deal to fulfill first."

He bowed and held out his hand to Fiona, escorting her into the dining room while Catriona and Belle followed close behind.

"This is the happiest Mum's been since my father passed away," Catriona confessed as Rumple led his giddy partner across the dance floor to "Unforgettable" and "All The Way"

"How long has it been?"

"Thirty years. My father was a good man. He knew what Mum did for a living, hell all of Scotland, England and Ireland knows what we do for a living, but he didn't give a damn. He loved her all the same. I guess Rumple reminds her a lot of him."

"What about you? Has there been anyone? Channon and Jamie's father?"

"He was already married when we met and will never divorce his wife or even acknowledge my children as his. I'm happy dating once in a while but taking care of my girls and guys is more important to me."

"It's your turn Cattie. My, that man is a marvelous dancer!"

Belle smiled. He'd used a great deal of magic on his leg so that his dances with them would be perfect and it would catch up to him later but he didn't care and she loved him all the more for it. Catriona chose to dance to two of her favorite songs from the Sixties "Unchained Melody" and "At Last". In her heart, Belle wished the two McDermott women would've been able to have a lasting happiness with their true loves but she was learning that in this world, very few people believed in true love anymore.

"It's your turn now, lassie, since you didn't get a chance to dance at your sons' wedding," Fiona said softly. "And thank you..."

"You're welcome."

She was about to take her husband's hands in hers when he stepped back.

"What's wrong?"

He waved his hand and she was back in her old golden gown, restored to its original beauty and took her into his arms. "Much better," he murmured as they danced to the same Spanish love songs Miranda was singing the night they had dinner at Casa Miranda.

"This isn't exactly like the dance scene in the movie is, it?" Rumple asked his wife referring to the animated version of their story.

She scoffed. "I like this better… still a bit of my beast left in the man. The prince turned into another brainless fool with good looks when the curse broke…at least that was my impression."

Rumple chuckled. "Don't let anyone at Disney World hear you say that."

"Maybe we should go there and do just that." she suggested.

"I don't think Orlando is ready for us yet. You said you wanted to see the world, sweetheart and we'll do it a bit at a time," he vowed.

"I'm in no hurry. We have the rest of our lives to do it."


End file.
